To Be Reunited
by Elocinn
Summary: Full story of "Reunited." With a promotion on the horizon, Buzz takes on one last mission as a captain. An old friend and a certain red-head decide to help him, but they wind up facing a lot more than what they expected. BLoSC universe.
1. To Give Chase

Ok, ok I know I've been updating very quickly lately. Why? Cause I've been trying so darn hard to break my writer's block and I needed to destressify myself. Now, I think I got something.

Yes, this is the story where the events from "Reunited" occur. I finally sucked it up and started writing it. I think I've got some good ideas for it and I hope it goes well. "Sacrifice" was actually a trial run and an inspiration piece to help me write this story, so I probably won't get to that one again for a while.

So, I hope you guys like this.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Pixar, Disney, or any affiliated characters.

* * *

**To Give Chase**

Hooves thundered against the dry desert terrain, kicking up dusty sand in their midst. The horses' quick gallops reverberated cleanly off the surrounding canyon walls, bouncing into the voids of night. To the two riders who scaled the thin valley hurriedly, the air was bitter freezing. As much as they wrapped their heavy dusters and fur-covered chaps about themselves, it could not repel the bite of a desert's night.

However uncomfortable they were, the riders pressed onward. They had a mission they needed to fulfill and planned to succeed despite the obstacles. That was what made Sheriff Woody Pride and his deputy, Jessie Pride, famous. The siblings shared a profound sense of purpose in protecting their turf and its people. One did not mess with their authority.

They pursued two outlaws who had crossed the line one too many times in the past, One-Eyed Bart and One-Eyed Betty Rickles. Time and time again, the husband and wife would commit a crime and somehow execute a successful escape plan, avoiding the sheriff's handcuffs and their date with justice. Yet, Woody was determined to guarantee their capture, a promise that led him and Jessie on a two day chase across the southern Californian deserts.

The moon illuminated a path through the sharp dips and turns of the rocks' weathered formations. The landscape grew harsher and thicker. Extra care had to be taken seriously. The outlaws' trail eventually became invisible, even to Jessie's keen eyesight, but Woody knew the area well and reassured himself there was only one way through.

Soon enough, the canyon began to sink back into the earth. Just a few hundred feet ahead, the land would spread into a large expanse of dried sand. With the ground evening out, Jessie took the opportunity to glance at the sky, speckled as usual with stars. Yet, for the umpteenth time that night, she did not find what she looked for. She sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped.

"Jess, he's obviously not coming." Woody huffed, noticing her disheartened body language. His horse suddenly slipped on some loose rocks. "Easy, Bullseye. We're almost out."

The cowgirl did not answer. She hated to admit it, but Woody's statement began to sound more and more accurate as time passed. She let out another dismal sigh, kicking her horse's sides with her spurs a little too roughly. Muttering an apology, she continued to follow her sheriff.

Guess they were on their own for this fight.

When the desert floor finally flattened, they could see a consistent dust cloud littering the landscape naught three miles ahead of them. They were catching up fast.

"Wait, Woody." Jessie called, before they began to gallop at full speed. "Isn't Nevada twenty-five miles from here?"

The sheriff glanced at her, frustrated by her interruption. Not a second later, his eyes widened immensely.

"They're trying to cross into Nevada!" He cried, immediately urging Bullseye into a gallop again. "They know I can only arrest them in California! Argh, that stupid law! Come on!"

They hurled themselves forward, willing every ounce of speed and strength into the legs of their horses. Digging their spurs into the steeds' sides, they risked standing on their stirrups, lifting their dead weight off the horse's backs to give them a lighter load to haul. Along the dry, desolate plains they glided, riding like the wind that so beautifully and so harshly carved the rocks among them. Every minute, their swiftness inched them closer to the outlaws. Soon enough, yells pierced the whistles of the wind.

"They're…closer…faster!"

Woody knew the chase was nearing its end. Despite being only a few miles from their safety zone, the Rickles would never escape him now.

"Jess, you take them on the left flank, I got their right!" He called to his sister who replied by aiming her horse away from his.

Only a few feet separated them from the outlaws. The cowgirl reached blindly to her belt, unbuckling the band that held her lasso against her hip. As she neared the Rickles horse's hindquarters, she sat back in her saddle and uncoiled the rope before skillfully tossing its end in the air. She immediately whipped her hand above her head, giving the end of the rope momentum to spin. Her eyes settled on One-Eyed Bart, preparing to pull him off his horse as she had done so many times before with runaways.

But she certaintly didn't expect a gun to make an appearance.

One-Eyed Betty turned to her with the hidden weapon, aimed in her direction, and fired. The bullet never hit the deputy. Jessie's horse immediately began to buck as it hoisted itself onto its hind legs, kicking wildly. Jessie assumed the gunfire had spooked him, but while standing in mid-air, the creature went limp and began to fall on its side. The cowgirl swiftly removed her boots from the saddle's stirrups and landed roughly onto the ground, her hat flying off her head. Although a rarity, she ignored the missing accessory and quickly pulled herself up.

Her horse lay motionless on the hardened sand. For a moment, Jessie just stared, her mouth agape and her eyes filled with disbelief. She rushed over to the fallen critter, placing a gentle hand on its shoulder. A small hole marred the horse's neck as trickles of blood dripped from it into a puddle on the desert floor.

Jessie bit her lip, her face twisting quickly with anguish. Curling her hands into fists, she snapped her head up and looked for the runaway murderers. However, they weren't running anymore.

Woody had managed to halt the Rickles by succeeding in what Jessie tried to do. Betty lied unarmed on her back on the ground with a lasso secured tightly around her waist. Bart, refusing to leave his wife, halted their horse and rushed over to her, another gun at the ready. The sheriff quickly reached for his holster to whip out his own pistol when several shots loudly enlivened the silent night air.

One-Eyed Bart's gun flew as a bullet collided with his hand. He cried aloud, grasping his wrist before falling heavily to his knees in agonizing pain. A bit startled, Woody glanced to his left. There, Jessie stood rigidly beside her dead horse with a smoking pistol in hand and her emerald eyes shimmering with rage. The sheriff quickly understood the cause of the cowgirl's ire. Anyone who killed her horse would have the favor returned.

However, Bart's gun conveniently landed beside One-Eyed Betty's hand. Fully conscious and completely furious about her husband's pain, she hastily whipped around and aimed the killing machine right at Jessie's chest. The deputy stiffened instinctively, knowing she had no time to avoid the bullet.

The shot never fired.

From the skies, a thin beam of red light struck Betty in the back. With the trigger half pulled, the outlaw dropped the gun and slumped forward and lied limply on the ground. Frozen from shock, Woody and Jessie stared at her, unsure about what occurred.

Jessie soon realized she could breathe since a bullet did not lodge itself into her heart. She placed a hand to her chest, breathing heavily with relief. Seeing her reaction, Woody ran to his sister worriedly.

"Are you alright?" He questioned, searching her for any injuries.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." She replied, still startled. "What the heck happened? Did you do that?"

"No." The sheriff admitted. "I don't know who…wait."

"What?"

He didn't answer as One-Eyed Bart began to pitch a fit a few feet away.

"You killed her!" He fumed. "You killed my wife!"

"Actually, she is just stunned."

A new voice from above impelled all three to look up to the brightening sky of early morning. Their gaze fell upon a bulky figure floating in mid-air, flames raging from a winged device on his back. They kept him suspended until he pushed a button on his breast that caused him to descend toward the ground. He managed to land perfectly on his feet.

Jessie's stunned demeanor shifted to excitement as she beamed at the new arrival. It did not matter that he could barely be seen in the dim shine of twilight; she would recognize that voice and suit anywhere.

"I could never kill a woman." The man stated. "But I can't let a woman kill another, either. Now, I think it's time you receive your due payment, criminal."

As the suited figured moved toward One-Eyed Bart, Woody made his way over to Betty. Once the two outlaws were cuffed securely, the new arrival threw Bart over his shoulder and Woody placed Betty on the outlaws' horse before mounting Bullseye once again. Jessie pulled their horse by its reigns, beginning to lead the way to the closest town to their location, Nipton, California.

Bart struggled for a few moments, but the suited man held him firmly, as if he had done this many times before.

"Who the heck are you?" The outlaw asked, still quite annoyed about his perdicament.

The suited man chuckled lightly as he walked alongside Jessie, giving the cowgirl a quick grin.

"I guess you wouldn't recognize me." He responded amusedly. "The name's Buzz Lightyear, Captain Buzz Lightyear."


	2. To Be Celebrated

One word: college.  
Two words: review please.

This is the longest chapter I have ever written. I hate integrating the backstory info into the actual story itself because I honestly feel like it makes the story boring. So, I'm sorry for all the explainations in this chapter, but it needed to be done. If you ever get confused, just PM me and I'll be glad to answer or fix. Thanks guys!

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**To Be Celebrated**

Throughout his years as a Space Ranger, Buzz Lightyear had faced extreme weather conditions on various planets including constant rainfall, gale-force winds, and blinding blizzards. Yet, he believed that the scorching heat of the Californian deserts on the planet Earth could very well be the worst of the worst. After adapting to the below freezing temperatures of space for nearly twenty years, he pretty much lost all of his heat tolerance, despite the fact he returned to Capital Planet once and a while. But there he was, sweating profusely in a stifling passenger car of an ancient steam-powered train, chugging, at best, 30 miles per hour across the scorching, dry desert plains.

He wanted nothing else but to be in his climate-controlling ranger suit, but he could not due to the secretive regulations Star Command established whenever any ranger visited Earth. The planet's people were several hundred years behind the rest of the galaxy, still running through the slow process of modernization and post-industrialism. Not one Earthling could see the technology Buzz possessed for they were too complex and too dangerous for them to truly understand. Utter chaos would ensue.

Thus, he had to blend in with the crowd. He found himself wearing a beige button-up shirt underneath an emerald green vest, dark brown trousers, a tan wool frock coat, a pair of leather boots, and a brown leather hat to complete the set. He looked nothing less of an old western landowner, but that didn't mean it made him any cooler. He couldn't help but shift uneasily in his seat every two minutes as he continued to sweat.

"Oh, stop yer fussin. Our stop is the next one and then you can cool off and roam about Davis all ya like."

Buzz gave the red-headed cowgirl beside him a diminutive side-glance while raising an eyebrow, but she casually ignored his look and continued to clean the gears of her pistol.

"I don't think roaming around would be a wise decision, especially since my occupation needs to remain a secret."

Jessie huffed and dropped the pistol onto her lap, giving him a slightly amused look.

"Secret, huh?" She leaned toward him a little. "Well then you're doing a great job, 'specially since you showed One-Eyed Bart practically everythin'."

"Oh, stop it, both of you." Sheriff Woody snapped from the seat across from the two, annoyed his newspaper reading got interrupted. "No one'll believe Rickles' story anyway, especially not in the Nipton courts."

The previous day, the three handed custody of Bart and Betty Rickles over to the sheriff of Nipton to stand trial and face punishments. Since taking the outlaws all the way back to Davis, Woody and Jessie's hometown, seemed illogical and risky, they decided to leave them for Nipton's judges to handle. Besides, processing a trial took several boring days to complete properly and none of them wanted to deal with that.

So, with Jessie having no horse and Buzz unable to fly across the desert without being seen, the trio decided to take the first train heading to Davis.

Soon enough, the iron horse's whistles screamed loudly, indicating an approaching train station. Buzz eagerly glanced outside the dirty window and caught site of Davis' wooden station platforms.

"Finally." He breathed with relief. "Maybe now I can breathe some fresh air."

"Breathin' in a bunch of sand and dust ain't no better." Jessie drawled, snapping her pistol's cylinder back into place before placing it in her holster. "Well, that is if yer used to breathing filtered air all the time, right captain?"

The deputy winked at Buzz, chuckling slightly as she stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her cow-hide chaps. The space ranger could not help but grin in return, watching as she straightened out her trousers and her signature white and yellow collared blouse, which had both cuffs and a simple embroidered neckline. Since he first met Jessie five years ago, he admired the fact that she did not dress according to the rules of women's fashion and chose to establish her tough personality through her attire. In a way, it made her more appealing, more attractive…

"Hey, buddy." Woody's voice caught his distracted attention. "I know she's real pretty enough for you to stare at all day, but could you stop focusing on Jessie and focus on getting off the train before it leaves the station?"

Buzz quickly began to blush, but turned away to hide his heated cheeks from the grinning sheriff. Jessie had already made her way to the end of the car, waiting for them. He hesitated for a moment before he followed her off the train, silently cursing his blasted emotions along the way.

After they patiently waited for a freight handler to remove Bullseye from his cattle car, they headed for the dirt streets of Davis. The numerous locals milled about the small town as if it were New York City with boys playing in the fields, men entering and exiting the saloon and tailor shops, and women carting around produce and livestock.

It was a happy little town, named after its noble founder, Mr. Andrew Davis, growing prestigiously before and after his death thirty years prior. Dozens of prospectors and business men visited and gave the town healthy income and access to rare luxury items of the day. However, that fact provoked many outlaws and bandits to visit as well.

When Woody inherited the role of sheriff from his father, he quickly learned how to deal with such obstacles and became a household name in California. Of course, that wasn't the only reason why he became well-known. When the state's governor wished to assign him a deputy sheriff, the cowboy picked one for himself, his own sister because of her stamina and skills. Bewildered and enraged about a woman taking the role, the governor refused, but thanks to Woody's friend, a clever lawyer named John Hamm, they received permission. Yet, tensions continued between the sheriff and the governor, which became a favorable topic of discussion in the saloons and barbers. The Pride siblings chose to ignore the rumors and criticism. Besides, since the two of them began to work together, not one outlaw had managed to escape their lassos and handcuffs.

"Here we are." Woody announced cheerfully. "Home sweet home."

The three companions approached a two-story wooden building that acted as both the Davis' police department and Woody and Jessie's home. After tying Bullseye's reigns to a post and giving him food, the sheriff quickly unlocked the front door. They entered his office, which consisted of three empty jail cells, a small liquor cabinet, and a desk littered with scattered papers. Woody took off the brown duster he wore and placed it on a hook by the door before brushing dust off his yellow and red plaid shirt.

"Bo!" He called loudly toward the stairs. "We're home!"

Through the ceiling, the three heard heels clicking against the second story's wooden floors. The heels' pace quickened until the skirts of a pink and white dress floated down the stairs swiftly. The woman who appeared had pale skin, neatly curled blonde locks, and calm blue eyes, a perfect match for a rough and tough sheriff. Bo's face beamed at the sight of her husband and she rushed over to his tall and lanky form, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck tightly.

"My goodness, I wondered what happened." She breathed with relief. "I had to send Buzz along to find you since no one had seen hide or hair of you for three days."

"Yeah, um, sorry about that." Woody laughed awkwardly. "We kind of got caught up in a two day chase across the desert. A spur of the moment deal."

"I was wonderin' about how you found us anyway." Jessie commented as she turned to Buzz, raising a brow.

"Well, after I landed, you two were already long gone." The space ranger explained. "Bo expressed her concerns and since I still had my suit on, I figured I would venture out."

Bo knew of Buzz's origins and occupations. Woody accidentally revealed some information about him when she asked why the captain acted so differently when he first arrived on Earth. Of course, being the sweet and wise woman that she was, Bo took the truth in stride, accepting the space man easily. If Woody trusted him, why shouldn't she?

"Well, despite what did happen, we are back safe and sound." Woody stated triumphantly.

"And just in time for the festival too!" Bo smiled delighted.

"What festival?" Buzz asked curiously.

"Well, today's a very important holiday for our country." She responded and pointed to the Pride siblings. "I'm surprised these two forgot, being so patriotic and such."

"Today's July 4th?" Jessie cried, slapping her forehead. "Well call me a jackrabbit, I did forget! No wonder why so many people were out and about."

"Hey, like Bo said, at least we still made it for tonight's celebration." Woody reminded, a large smile forming on his lips. "I love this time of year."

Buzz watched as the small family began to reminisce about past Fourth of Julys, grinning amusedly as Jessie would occasionally over-exaggerate some fact or another. Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket and quickly remembered he placed a portable communicator in there. He pulled it out and glanced at a message he received from Star Command's communication department. When he finished reading, he sighed heavily.

"What's the matter Buzz?"

The ranger glanced up to see Jessie gazing at him curiously. His chest tightened as he met her emerald irises, noticing she focused all her attention on him. After realizing he was still staring at her like a deer in headlights, he gulped and opened his mouth.

"I-I am needed back at the station as soon as possible." He explained, indicating the communicator in his hand. "My commanding officers need to speak with me about some classified information."

"You're leaving already?" The cowgirl nearly whined, but her voice sounded more distressed than anything. "But you just arrived and we've barely gotten time to talk about…things."

"I know Jess," Buzz agreed sadly, "but I cannot ignore my duties. It is a part of my job."

"Surely you could stay the night, at least." Bo suggested after listening to the conversation. "Come to the festival and then leave early in the morning."

"Yeah, you need some down time anyway, even if it is only for a few hours." Woody added.

Buzz sighed again, looking to the hopeful couple with uncertainty. He finally turned to Jessie and cursed loudly inside his mind. In all his years as an elite Space Ranger, he never fell easily into the traps and mind-games of his enemies, always keeping himself level-headed and resolved for every possible attack. Yet, when he gazed at the expectant expression of the red-headed cowgirl standing before him, he knew he could never resist her needs and wants. He lost himself in her smooth, lively features and her shimmering, excited eyes. She was a wild and rare beauty he could not defy.

Jessie could probably get him to do anything and everything she wanted.

"I guess one night wouldn't hurt." Buzz finally decided.

"Yeeha!" Jessie immediately enveloped him in a large embrace, jumping up and down in her excitement.

The captain couldn't help but blush as the deputy held him, but a rush of excitement struck him as well, whether or not it was because the feeling radiated off the cowgirl who held him. Yet, Buzz could not help but praise his decision. He could not wait for the night start.

* * *

"You know, if you put holes in my floor from pacing so much, you're paying for it."

Woody could not help but tease Buzz about his nervous habits, including the militaristic pacing he had started nearly twenty minutes ago. The space ranger sighed at the comment as he stopped and sat restlessly in a chair. The two men waited patiently in the sheriff's office for the two women of the household to come downstairs to join them for the Fourth of July party that had already begun outside. Buzz clearly expressed his nervousness since he started getting ready, wanting to make sure he looked absolutely perfect. Woody, of course, found the entire charade amusing. He remembered the days when he was flustered over impressing Bo.

"Look, Buzz, Jessie doesn't care 'bout what you look like." The sheriff grinned. "She's thrilled you're even here to join her in the festivities."

The ranger remained silent, bobbing his legs anxiously as he listened. He gazed at the stairs for a long moment.

"Does she know?" He asked just above a whisper.

"Know what?" Woody questioned.

"Know that…that I…" Buzz didn't finish his sentence as a blush heated his cheeks again, hoping the sheriff would understand.

Woody sighed heavily, amazed at the ranger's oblivious behavior. He pushed himself off his desk and walked over to his friend, placing a hand on Buzz's shoulder.

"Buzz, I think the whole universe knows except for you and her." He admitted bluntly, smirking slightly as an embarrassed expression spread across the ranger's face. "I can promise you though, she misses you a lot whenever you leave and don't visit for a long while. She always wonders about where you are and what you do."

Buzz contemplated that, feeling relief at first, but guilt soon started to settle within him. He wanted more than anything to visit Jessie and Woody as often as possible, but as a Star Command captain, he always had assignments and duties that took up most of his time. Whenever he did manage to catch a break, he could only stay for a few days. The longest he had ever been with them was when he first met them.

Five years prior, Buzz had been issued a mission to arrest a dangerous intergalactic criminal, Sid "the Kid" Phillips, who lived on the planet Earth. When he landed, he tried to remain as discreet and secretive as possible until Sheriff Woodrow Pride and Deputy Sheriff Jessica Pride found him. Woody hated him as soon as he looked at him and Jessie remained quiet and distant. The whole situation had been awkward and remained so thereafter, but when Sid managed to capture both Buzz and Woody, they had to work together to escape and wound up becoming the best of friends.

Jessie had not warmed up to Buzz until they had to combine their efforts to stop Sid's destructive assaults in Davis. The cowgirl showed her true personality and her true potential then. Though he did not recognize it at the time, the space ranger quickly grew fond of her, finding himself stuttering uncharacteristically and wanting nothing else but to be around her. Yet, he had never felt so insecure in his life than whenever he neared her presence. Her glances melted his strict exterior, easily peeling away the hard shell he had wrought around his emotions when he first joined Star Command.

At first, Buzz fervently denied his affections toward Jessie, despite the constant teasing Woody and Mira Nova dished out, especially after the Tangean met the cowgirl during one of his visits. Yet, as time passed, Buzz found himself needing to see Jessie in order to keep his sanity in check. He could never get enough of her.

"Well, I try to visit as much as I possibly can." Buzz admitted to Woody. "The Star Command base can get a bit lonely when all you're surrounded by are colleagues and co-workers."

"That's good. At least she doesn't have much to worry about." The sheriff commented, leaning against the wall casually.

"Worry about what?" The ranger asked suspiciously, but two pairs of footsteps interrupted him as they started descending the stairs.

Bo appeared first, donning in a fancier pink dress than the one she wore before, decorated with lace and elegant floral print. Woody could not help but grin widely at her as she approached him and kissed his cheek. Jessie soon followed her.

The cowgirl felt uncomfortable in the navy blue skirt that fell below her ankles and the cream, long-sleeved blouse that had yellow shags sewn onto its conservative neckline. Her braided red hair was wrapped in a tight bun with a small, yellow cactus flower stuck within it. She did not feel like herself and could only wonder what Buzz thought.

Contrary to her beliefs, the space ranger gaped at her with utter amazement. A different side of her radiated beautifully before him and he could not look away. He felt as if he had been struck with a laser set on stun. Boy, he was really glad he decided to stay.

"W-wow, Jessie…" Buzz stuttered. "Y-you look…y-you, w-well…"

"I think he's trying to say you look amazing, Jess." Woody came to his friend's aid.

The ranger gave the sheriff a grateful smile. Jessie blushed deeply and a smile invaded her sour expression, especially after Buzz held out an arm toward her.

"M-may I escort you m-ma'm?"

"Of course, good sir." Jessie playfully obliged.

She slipped her arm in his as Woody repeated Buzz's gesture with Bo and, together, they made their way out the door.

* * *

Dozens of people filled the town square in pairs to dance. Several musically gifted farmers played bouncy tunes on their banjos, guitars, and harmonicas to entertain the enormous crowd that had flooded Davis earlier that night for its annual Fourth of July festival. Food stands and games littered the square where the young and the old eagerly busied themselves to their wishes. Fireworks occasionally lit up the night sky, illuminating the town below in greens and reds as they exploded. It did not matter who people were or where they came from to celebrate the occasion. They merely wanted to enjoy their time.

Jessie was having the time of her life. She had eaten delicious meats and vegetables, claimed an undefeated title in a lasso competition, and square danced with just about everyone she knew. Well, except for one.

The cowgirl had lost Buzz some time ago as she agreed to dance with a close friend, Barbara "Barbie" Benton. Yet, when the can-can showgirl caught sight of her love, Kenneth Keaton, Jessie found herself alone in the midst of a large group of dancers. So, she decided to search for the space ranger. They had enjoyed a meal and a game together, but his enthusiasm for the festivities remained modest at best. She knew she had to change that, though.

When she finally spotted him, she noticed he sat alone in a chair just outside the dance circle. He watched the participants idly, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere beyond the activity. His hands fiddled with something small as he maintained his distant expression.

Pursing her lips, Jessie pushed her way through the mass of bodies and strode up to the unaware captain. After staring at the side of his face for a moment, she sat on the bench beside him. He jumped at the action, turning quickly toward her with a bewildered expression. When he realized it was her, he relaxed.

"Geeze, Jess." He breathed with relief. "Don't scare me like that."

"What's the matter, captain?" Jessie ignored his comment. "You're kinda just starin' into space. Is somethin' wrong?"

Buzz furrowed his brows but eventually let loose a small laugh, glancing to the device in his hands. It was the communicator he had shown her before.

"N-no. I was just thinking…about things." He answered but knew he sounded terribly cliché. "I'm mainly wondering about what my superiors need to tell me."

Jessie silently nodded in understanding, but felt her mood drop negatively. The subject of him leaving dampened her spirits. She hated it when he left; she always wanted him nearby.

"Well, I'm sure everythin' will be all right." The deputy mused, trying to enlighten both of their temperaments. "No use worrying about it now. Enjoy the festival!"

"Everything's just so…different." Buzz admitted with embarrassment. "I mean, I haven't danced since I had to take Latino salsa classes at the Academy."

"Spanish dancing?" Jessie questioned with a hint of amusement. "I never would've considered you a fluid and graceful dancer, Buzz."

"I got roped into it." He retorted quickly. "A frie–a former colleague convinced me."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." The entertained cowgirl waved a dismissive hand. "Now, come on, I wanna see those moves!"

"Wait I– "

She didn't let him finish as she dragged him into the crowd of dancing pairs. They passed by Woody and Bo who waltzed roughly in a tight circle. Buzz gave them a pleading look as Jessie dragged him past, but the sheriff merely waved and smiled. When the cowgirl finally stopped pulling him, she squarely faced his direction and took his hands in hers.

The space ranger immediately blushed at the contact, but Jessie did not see his reaction. Instead, she began to swing their arms and spring on her booted feet, bobbing her body to the beat of the lively, yet smooth tune. She gave him a wide and expectant smile and there he was again, fighting to resist her natural charm…yeah right.

He copied her actions almost exactly, starting with slow and easy movements until Jessie began to challenge him with more complex steps. Buzz caught on quickly, however, his dancing days at the academy returning to him and soon enough, the two twirled and tangoed in sync around the square with ease. The crowd took great delight in their skills as they formed a circle around them when the rhythm itself began to match their pace.

They finally struck a finalizing pose, with Jessie lying back on Buzz's knee and Buzz propping her up as he kneeled. Cheers ignited and fireworks responded to their wonderful finish. Abashed and deeply appreciative, the two simply waved and smiled at the excitement aimed at them.

Yet, Jessie soon found herself following a tired, but eager Buzz out of the town square and toward the open fields beyond the saloon. They laughed aloud once they freed themselves of the crowd and pranced about hand in hand. Not really paying attention to where he was stepping, Buzz suddenly tripped and fell to the desert floor, inadvertently bringing Jessie with him.

She landed on his chest and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her to catch her. After a moment, the cowgirl pushed herself up against him and caught his brilliant azure eyes with her shimmering emerald ones. They merely stared at one another for several moments, neither one speaking or moving.

Suddenly, Buzz widened his eyes and began to sit up. Sliding off his chest, Jessie settled herself on her knees as she watched him reach into his pocket. Once again, he pulled out the small communicator and turned it in his hand.

"I want you to have this." He explained, his voice deep and quiet.

"Why?" Jessie questioned curiously, not truly understanding his motive.

"So I can contact you…so we can talk to each other when I'm away." Buzz gave her a hopeful glance as he placed the device in her delicate hand.

The cowgirl stared at it for a moment, observing its sleek, metallic material before returning her gaze onto him. She closed her hand and firmly grasped the communicator.

"I'll keep it close." She promised.

Staying that night had been the best decision he had ever made.

* * *

Jessie's dress/get-up inspired by lily-fox's art piece "Your are Singing at my Window" on deviantart. Take a look!


	3. To Be Promoted

Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy! R&R.

* * *

**To Be Promoted**

Buzz gulped nervously as he strode down the hallway leading to Commander Nebula's office. He travelled that path hundreds of times before and had only felt anxious one other time, when he had to first meet the Commander ten years prior.

He did not know what his summoning was about. He had left Jessie and Woody and returned to the Star Command base over Capital Planet nearly a week ago, but did not receive the call from his superiors about the "information" they needed to tell him until then. He dared not question their authority, however, and simply followed orders.

When he reached the office door, he pressed a comlink button to indicate his presence. A voice crackled through the speaker above it.

"If it's not Lightyear, then don't come in." Nebula's tone sounded highly irritated, which was nothing short of the usual.

"It is Captain Lightyear, sir." Buzz confirmed and nearly rolled his eyes amusedly.

"Ah, well come in!"

The metal door slid open swiftly and the ranger stepped inside. Sitting around a small meeting table in black leather arm chairs sat several Star Command officers and Galactic Alliance officials. Being the dutiful, and somewhat compulsive, Space Ranger that he was, Buzz recognized every one of their faces and their respectable ranks. Three admirals sat on the left and four senators sat on the right. Yet, the two most notable figures that sat in the middle of them all were the President of the Galactic Alliance and the Commander in Chief of Star Command.

He _really_ hoped he wasn't in trouble.

"Gentlemen and ladies," Commander Nebula began from his seat beside the head general, "I am sure you all know him, but I would like to introduce the greatest Space Ranger of Star Command, Buzz Lightyear."

They greeted him unanimously with wide and pleasing smiles. Buzz tried his hardest to hide the blush that wanted to color his face. Nebula proceeded to motion toward the only empty chair at the table and, without another thought, the captain quickly sat himself and awaited the reason why so many high-ranked officials wished to see him.

"Captain, I am sure you have met the majority of the people sitting around you." Nebula continued with the introductions. "Senators Aarrfvox, Banda, Hammerhold, and Phlegmex; Admirals Allen, Hanks, and Cusack; and, of course, Madam President."

Buzz made sure to nod to each with full acknowledgement. He lastly turned to the Commander in Chief. He had never met the man himself since the later always worked on Star Command's planetary headquarters on Capital Planet. He was quite old, but he did not seem weak or incapable. The man had practically created Star Command when it was first established as a military branch of the Galactic Alliance.

When the head general stood, he silently kept his unyielding gaze focused entirely on Buzz's. The captain could not help but see the gesture as a challenge, as a test of strength. The elder man wanted to intimidate the lower officer, but Buzz would have none of it. He furrowed his brows and glared gently. He would not stand down.

After a long moment, the Commander in Chief laughed aloud. Buzz's determined expression melted into confusion.

"I mus' admit, Lightyea,' you certainly don' turn down any challenge." The head general chuckled for a little while before seating himself once again. "Very admirable. Now I know wha my military branch is still standin'."

"Thank you, sir." Buzz barely managed to speak without stuttering in bewilderment.

"No, than' you for bein' such a magnificent soldier. You're prolly the prodigy of Star Command." The general continued his string of compliments with great happiness, but he soon mellowed into a serious tone. "Which is wha I called ev'ryone here today. Buzz Lightyea', you are ta be promoted ta admiral."

The silence that followed after stifled the air a bit as the officials waited curiously for Buzz's reaction. For many moments the captain just sat there, staring wide-eyed at the Commander in Chief. He could barely contain all the emotions that erupted within him, excitement, relief, disbelief, shock, and so forth. He did not know what to say.

"A-admiral?" He eventually whispered.

"Yes," Madam President finally decided to speak, "we decided it was time you receive the promotion you have for so long deserved. We only hesitated in the past because you were still quite young, but after all you have done for us the past ten years, we could not withhold the privilege any longer."

"You'll be the youngest Space Ranger to become an admiral." Commander Nebula added proudly. "Just like when you became captain."

"I-I just try to perform my best, sir." Buzz did not want too much pride overriding his modesty. "I just want to protect the galaxy as my father had before me."

"An' we couldn' have had anyone betta for tha job." The head general agreed as he reached into a suitcase. "Now, the regulations involvin' the promotion are simple, but can get a lil' tedious. The typical papawork needs ta be filled out and once tha's taken care of, well wheneva Commanda Nebula actually finishes his papawork on the matta…" Nebula grinned sheepishly from beside his leader, knowing his dislike for completing paperwork was well known. "…there's one otha requirement. In orda to prove your admiral status, you mus' complete one las' mission where you are the sole leada of the detachment sent ta complete it."

Buzz's curiosity peaked at the mention of a mission. He had to accomplish a similar task in order to earn his captain rank, but on a much lower scale. All he had to do was lead a small group of Space Rangers in a controlled mission in a controlled environment. This sounded as if he and he alone would control every aspect, every duty of every ranger, including his own.

"What is the mission, sir?" The captain inquired.

The Commander in Chief pressed a button on the edge of the table and a projection ignited in the center of their circle. The holographic image displayed a great, majestic passenger cruiser, a space version of Capital Planet's oceanic cruise ships. The cruiser, with _Sunnyside _written in large print on its side, was considered one of the most popular, most luxurious of its kind in the galaxy.

"The _Sunnyside _passenger cruiser will be embarking on its 200th anniversary voyage to Andromeda." Commander Nebula explained. "Thousands of the rich and famous across our side of the galaxy will be aboard to celebrate. A lot of important political life forms will be present as well. We have been tasked to assign 100 Space Rangers to guard the ship and its passengers. You will lead them all in completing this mission successfully."

It took Buzz a moment to absorb every piece of information explained. Thousands of important life forms from across the galaxy to protect. A two day trip to reach Andromeda. No higher power he could refer to if something did occur. He could afford no mistakes and no missteps.

"Am I allowed to choose the members in my detachment?" Buzz inquired carefully.

"Unfortunately, no." Nebula answered casually. "We will choose for you. They cannot be a part of a team you have already administered. So, yes, that means Lieutenants Nova, Booster, and XR are out of the question."

Buzz silently cursed to himself, cringing instinctively as the idea of taking on the task alone unnerved him.

"Now don' worry." The Commander in Chief noticed the captain's anxiety. "Once ya finish this mission and gain admiralship, you get ta relax at Star Command's surface headquartas. No more worryin' about battles and missions. You call the shots and create the tactics for the rangas up here ta use."

"What do you mean about not worrying about battles and missions?" Buzz's confusion enveloped his expression.

"Well, tha's the thing with becomin' admiral, son." The head general reiterated. "You create the plans instead of actually carryin' them out. You're taken off the battlefield."

The captain merely stared at his commanding officer for a long moment. Yet, even as an unusual chill rushed to his limbs, he stood, saluted his officers and thanked them for the honor. He instinctively agreed to take on the mission, grabbed the paperwork and nearly sprinted out of the room.

* * *

"I know, Jess. I know." Buzz sighed for the umpteenth time in the past hour.

The ranger lay dejectedly on the bed of his quarters, resting the arm communicator he was talking into on his chest. As soon as he left Commander Nebula's office, he made a beeline for his room, avoiding and ignoring anything and anyone in his path. The only thing on his mind as he trotted down the numerous halls of the Star Command base was Jessie. He needed to talk to her, needed her voice to soothe his raging nerves.

"_You can't just turn 'em down?" _The cowgirl asked, talking supposedly on the portable communicator he had given her while riding Bullseye.

Once she had picked up, Buzz explained his situation carefully, including the basis of what happened and some minute details about his upcoming promotion and mission. She cheered and congratulated, but Buzz could not help but crush her spirits. The fact that he would be based on Capital Planet instead of the Star Command base would complicate and take away the freedoms he had to travel wherever he wished. Visiting Earth would become a rare occurrence after his promotion.

"No. They've went through so much trouble to ensure the promotion would actually occur." Buzz disagreed gently. "Besides, I have always dreamed of being an admiral. Only a rare few earn that rank."

"_Well, then what are we gonna do?" _Jessie complained, sounding more and more upset as the conversation continued. _"Won't you have special permission to do as you wish as an admiral? You could come see us whenever!"_

"Jessie, I can't just up and leave anytime I want." The ranger retorted. "That would be abusing my rank and that's the one thing Star Command will never tolerate."

"_So we're basically giving up then, huh?" _The cowgirl snapped, irritation coursing through her tone.

"I didn't say that." Buzz countered quickly. "Jess, you know I want nothing more than to s-see you…and Woody every day."

The communicator relayed silence, its soft electric hum being the only thing that let him know Jessie was still on the other end. Eventually, he heard a heavy, distant sigh before hearing her troubled voice again.

"_I know…" _She admitted quietly. "_It's just Woody and I…miss you a lot when you're gone. And I mean, I'm so happy you're finally movin' on up, but the fact I might not see you again for another year or two…I just…I don't know."_

"M-maybe you could come visit me." Buzz suggested, somewhat surprised when he actually heard himself.

"_How? We don't exactly have space ships gallopin' around like horses on the prairies." _Jessie reminded incredulously.

"Well, I could probably arrange something with Star Command." Buzz mused. "They know that only you, Woody, and Bo know about us."

"_Isn't that 'abusing your power,'_ _admiral?" _The deputy teased with a slight laugh.

"Still a captain, thank you." The ranger corrected. "And no, because I would not be leaving my post. Admirals are allowed to house family and friends at the base, if they wish."

"_I don't know, Buzz." _He could imagine her biting her lip. "_I'll have to see what Woody thinks. He's not too keen about leaving Davis, no longer Earth, for too long. But, maybe." _She paused for a moment._ "What was that you said about Star Command knowing about us?"_

"They know you're the only Earthlings aware of their presences in the galaxy." Buzz restated. "I kind of had to tell them."

"_Oh no, that's fine. Just curious." _She answered a little too sweetly for his tastes. "_I gotta go take care of the cattle. Try to call me when you're mission starts, ok? I wanna wish you luck."_

"Um, s-sure…"

It took a moment to realize she had turned off her communicator and broken the connection. He chuckled slightly; she still didn't know how to talk properly on the phone-like device, like saying goodbye before hanging up. Talking to her had put him at ease, though, knowing she supported him and knowing his connections with her would not be completely severed forever with his promotion.

He sighed heavily as he stared blankly at the pale ceiling reflecting his image. It was going to be a rough week.

* * *

The details and resonsibilities of the ranks are based off Star Trek's. Basing Buzz off Captain Kirk after he gets promoted to Admiral.

And the names of the Senators are actual characters on BLoSC. The Admirals, well, I'm sure you can guess where I got their names from. ;)


	4. To Have Company

Ugh, this past week was the longest week ever. I'm sorry guys, but I have been studying for four tests, one of which I already took. Three of them are on the same day on Wed. so don't expect an update until next weekend. With the stress, I will admit, I wasn't very motivated to write this chapter, but I eventually did and it turned out ok, in my opinion. Tell me what you think.

* * *

**To Have Company**

He did not know any of them, not one face, not one name, nothing. Buzz already considered this mission the worst he ever had to take on. Why? He could not help but feel utterly alone.

A majority of the time, he completed missions with a partner or a team, his team. Only occasionally did he actually set off on his own, but even then, he could contact rangers he knew and trusted. He did not have those options this time and, he had to admit, it unnerved him.

Especially since one of his lieutenants kept aggravating him to the brink of insanity.

"Are you sure about that, captain? It doesn't seem very logical."

"Yes, McCarn. I'm sure."

"Because if you distribute them throughout the different levels of the ship, they would be more spread out and accommodating to your orders."

"I am well aware of that, lieutenant, but I believe this way is just as commendable."

"At least put the officers…"

If he did not learn how to block out the voices of others, Buzz would have punched the babbling officer standing beside him. Sure, he did not know much about any ranger under his command, but he got to know Lieutenant McCarn a little too well since their departure from the Star Command base.

The young officer possessed cognitive and intelligence abilities that out-ranked nearly every Space Ranger. Logic fueled his personality and knowledge conducted his speech. Unfortunately for Buzz, that meant the kid never knew well enough to shut his mouth. Ever.

He had no idea how he was going to survive the next two days.

The captain and his detachment of a hundred Space Rangers boarded the passenger cruiser _Sunnyside _naught two hours ago. Since then, every part of the ship had been inspected for any anomalies and questionable objects. The 50,000 passengers began to board and flood the majestic interior of the cruiser.

The rangers stood in the huge courtyard of the entrance room. The peach-colored ceiling reached thirty stories to the very top of the cruiser's outer hull and the levels upon levels of suites and rooms the guests would stay in jetted out from the walls, overlooking the vast pool and fountain that marked the center of the enormous room. A grand marble staircase led up to the fifth floor, surrounded on both sides by two strongly-supported Plexiglas elevators that stopped at every floor. A fancy restaurant and a grand ballroom occupied the ground floors, separate from the main entrance room, but they still were significant additions to the utter splendor the passenger cruiser had to offer.

The beautiful presence of the ship produced a great air of power, but it also possessed an undertone of intimidation.

After gathering his rangers together, Buzz split them into twenty groups of five and assigned them along different sections and levels of the ship, from bow to stern. He had planned his method the whole week, analyzing and researching to ensure it would work. Of course, Lt. McCarn had something to say about his tactics, which earned him a threatening, fixated glare by his commanding officer that he was completely oblivious to.

"Lieutenant, I made sure this tactic would work." Buzz declared through gritted teeth. "This mission is a test of my admiralship and I plan to make sure everything and anything is thoroughly examined. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." McCarn agreed, but Buzz could tell something was processing in the kid's mind. "But…

"Lieutenant," Buzz hissed the word and put extra emphasis on its syllables. "Go with Team Delta to the back of the ship and monitor them."

"Sure, captain." McCarn saluted somewhat goofily. "I'll communicate if something occurs, sir!"

Buzz cringed as the officer turned.

"Don't call unless it's an absolute emergency!" He ordered, well, more like begged. "Please."

When the detachment dispersed, Buzz remained standing in the middle of the courtyard, rubbing his temples as yet another headache began to form.

The physical and mental stresses associated with the battlefield's precarious plights began to drain him more and more as of late and he could not help but notice he was slowing down. The youthful vigor and hyped stamina he possessed when he first became captain seemed to have finally exhausted themselves after so many years of constant fighting and endless hours spent trying to protect the galaxy from Emperor Zurg or any relatable villains. Maybe being stationed away from all of that would actually be good for him.

"Well, he was a lively one, ain't he?"

The captain instantly froze. No way, there was absolutely no way. He glanced down to his left forearm, hoping his communicator was on. It wasn't. It couldn't be. He spun around.

It was.

Standing behind him, smiling as wide as ever and with eyes glistening like usual in the light, was Jessie Pride. Amused by his dumbfounded reaction, the cowgirl waved and laughed brightly.

"Howdy, Buzz."

"Wha…Wha…"

"Heh, nice face, partner." Woody Pride suddenly walked up from behind his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he watched his ranger friend with enjoyment. "Haven't seen you look like that since you first met Jess."

"Oh, shut up, Woody." Jessie griped as she shoved the lanky sheriff off her.

Buzz still regarded them with bewilderment. The two Earthlings stood in front of him in, what seemed to be, a dreamlike manner. They couldn't really be there with him; they had no means to get off Earth no longer find him on the passenger cruiser. The stress must have really gotten to him.

"This can't be real." He finally managed to choke aloud. "There's no way."

"Oh really?" Woody asked incredulously, stepping toward Buzz. "If I can remember correctly, when we first met, you believed _everything_ was real and out to get you. Do you recall the time when you thought the outhouse was a spaceship because there was a crescent moon carved on the door?"

Jessie immediately burst into a relentless fit of laughter. Buzz's cheeks quickly flushed a deep-rooted rose shade, yet that time it wasn't because of the cowgirl's charms. He tightly pursed his lips and gave the grinning, proud sheriff a deadly glare. Oh, they were definitely, truly there.

"At least I didn't push anyone out of a third story window because I was jealous." Buzz countered and gladly stole Woody's grin right off the sheriff's face and molded it onto his.

"All right, you two." Jessie interrupted their bantering, still recovering somewhat from her laughing spell. "Enough chitter, chatter. Give us somethin' to do, admiral!"

"Captain…" Buzz responded automatically, but soon realized what she said. "Wait, what do you mean something to do? You're not Space Rangers."

"No, but we're on your team for this mission." The cowgirl informed proudly. "Commander Nebula said so himself."

"How?"

"I called him." With that, Jessie reached into her pocket and pulled out Buzz's portable communicator. "I told him Woody and I wanted to repay you for everything that you've done for our town and our planet. Since they 'knew of us,' thanks to you, and since this is your last mission, he obliged, picked us up, and sent us directly here."

No wonder why she sounded so sweet before hanging up on him during their last call. He should've guessed.

"Are you sure about this?" Buzz asked them carefully. "My world is completely different than yours and much more complex. It's not exactly practical–"

"Buzz, since when does practicality matter when it comes to us?" Jessie questioned with an eyebrow raised. "Yeah, it's different, but not entirely. Besides things are so much _easier._ Jus' press a button and you can fly like them…um…what do ya call 'em?"

"A rocket?" The ranger suggested.

"Exactly!" The cowgirl chimed.

Buzz sighed but he knew their decision was made and final. He could not help but feel biased about the situation anyway; he finally felt at ease with two of his closest friends standing by his side to help him complete his mission. He would have to thank Commander Nebula later for such a favor.

"Alright, you two." The captain faked an authoritative tone. "Let's get you stationed somewhere."

* * *

Night finally began to descend upon _Sunnyside_, or as much as it could with the ship itself cruising through an eternal expanse of night. If one looked out from its windows, the sight would seem significantly different than from one on Capital Planet's surface. The Milky Way Galaxy would soon be behind them, but they first had to sail a sea of red, hydrogen gas clouds and dodge several flaming stars sitting at the galaxy's edge. They entered what the Space Rangers considered the asteroid field of suns, a hazardous but beautiful obstacle to conquer in order to exit the Milky Way.

Buzz couldn't help but gaze at the 'landscape' from one of the enormous viewing windows in the ballroom. The sense of peace the sight established was enhanced by a smooth, classical tune resonating from various string instruments playing in the front of the room. Several hundred people danced elegantly across the polished marble floors, demonstrating the culture of their own home planet or trying another's to heighten their knowledge. Voices moderately flowed around the room as many others mingled in groups or ate and drank various delicacies, as was custom for their societal rank.

The captain himself could care less about the ardor of the rich and famous. Unfortunately, his income and popularity continued to advance because of his status and power in Star Command until he himself was actually considered upper class. Of course, that led to endorsements and attractions he wanted nothing to do with. Yes, he would admit, he had been cocky and proud when he first became a captain and flaunted his popularity to his own advantages, but after several near-death experiences and unsightly missions, he humbled significantly. Yet, nothing calmed him down more than when he met Jessie and Woody.

Sure, they had wealth and a good reputation from where they came from, but in comparison to Buzz's, they had practically nothing. They didn't let that bring them down, though. They took what they had and gratefully used it to _their _advantage, toughening them with experience and confidence. At one point, the ranger could not help but feel ashamed for his naivety. It didn't matter what the two lacked. What they had were each other and that's all they ever truly needed. At the time they met, Buzz did not have that luxury.

"Stupid friggin'…hog-tailed pompous pigs…"

Buzz turned to see the top of a red-headed woman push herself through the crowd of people to get to the back of the ballroom. Knowing already who it was, Buzz decided to follow alongside her from outside the crowd until he himself reached the back wall and waited for her to maneuver her way through. When she broke free from the sea of bodies, Jessie rushed to a vacant area and leaned forward against the back wall.

She hadn't seen him since her eyes were shut tight and her face was screwed with frustration. Cautiously, Buzz made his way over to her and barely heard a small sniffle coming from her direction. Furrowing his brow, he reached for her shoulder.

"Jess, what's the matter?"

The cowgirl literally jumped ten feet and spun around, already prepared with a sneer for whoever followed her. When she caught sight of the ranger's azure eyes, she softened her defenses.

"Geeze, Buzz." Jessie breathed. "Next time jus' call my name."

"Sorry." He still noticed her deeply flushed cheeks and the wetness under her eyes. "What happened?"

"Huh? Oh nothin'." The cowgirl waved a hand and laughed dryly. "The music gets ta me." Buzz raised a brow and crossed his arms. Jessie immediately gave under his stare. "Fine. Some old rich hag decided to point me and my "ragged" self to half of the damn room for show n' tell. Happy?"

"Ragged?"

"Yeah, called me a friggin' rag doll because of what I wore and how I wore my hair." Jessie continued, her aggressive tone weakening into a distressed one. "I told her I was workin' for Star Command and she jus' laughed with the rest of 'em. All I was doin' was checkin' the place over, too, like you said to do–"

"Jess, it's ok. I understand." Buzz eased, placing both hands on her shoulders, which inadvertently made him nervous. "Y-you were doing fine. Just relax."

Several tears slipped from her glassy emerald eyes, an unusual sight for Buzz. There were several times where the cowgirl nearly cracked in the past, but it had always been about something much more serious than gossip and opinion. Unconsciously, the ranger began to feel highly irritated and protective of Jessie's name and character. She didn't deserve harmful criticism.

"All right, come on." Buzz encouraged, taking her hand. "Let's go upstairs and talk about this. Where was this lady?"

Giving him a confused and curious glance, Jessie pointed near the ballroom entrance. Smirking Buzz began to lead her through the crowd once again. By the time they neared the entrance, someone called out from the crowd.

"Oh, Captain Buzz Lightyear! Please, do come here so I may introduce you to my granddaughter!"

Jessie's grip tightened on his hand at the voice and Buzz quickly realized who had spoken. Beyond a few bodies, an elderly woman, decked with an unfitting dress and several diamonds, strode toward him with a young girl in her hold. When no one else was between them, Buzz kept Jessie hidden behind him as the woman flaunted over him.

"Looking bold and bright as ever, captain!" She schmoozed. "I am Laria yan Fulzman. You saved my city once, several years ago, and I could not help but realize you are the perfect soldier! The best Star Command has ever had!"

"Thank you, ma'm." Buzz responded neutrally while trying desperately not to roll his eyes.

"This is my granddaughter, Mirwa yan Fulzman," The woman pulled her timid grandchild forward, who looked no older than twelve. She waved hesitantly at the tall ranger standing over her. "She's the heir to an enormous fortune and–"

"Ma'm, I do not wish to be rude nor disrespectful," He tried to sound sincere...yeah right, "but I must attend to my troops guarding the ship. Now, where did…oh! There you are!"

He pulled Jessie 'out' of the crowd and held her hand tightly, making sure the Fulzman woman could see. Still quite confused, the cowgirl glanced at Buzz uncertainly and the woman crossly.

"Jessie, I was looking everywhere for you!" The captain acted quite terribly, his emphasis too exaggerated and obvious, but the woman did not seem to notice. "Guarding the room well, I suppose?"

Catching on finally, the deputy laughed.

"Just like you asked, admiral!"

Buzz raised a brow but refrained from correcting her purposeful mistake. He merely turned his attention to the dumbstruck grandmother and granddaughter standing in front of them. With a very exaggerated gesture, he wrapped an arm around Jessie's waist and pulled her closer.

"I'm sure you know of the Princess of the Prairie, Jessica Pride, am I correct?" The ranger asked them as if it were obvious to everyone. "She likes to help Star Command whenever she can, just like the Tangean Princess, Mira Nova."

Nope, still dumbstruck and open-mouthed. Buzz couldn't help but grin triumphantly.

"Well, I believe it is time we part." The ranger addressed the women. "It was lovely meeting you two and I hope your time here on the _Sunnyside _is joyful."

With that, he directed himself and Jessie to the exit and they waited only a second after the ballroom doors closed to burst out laughing together.

They could not wait to hear the gossip on that charade.


	5. To Assign Meaning

Yay! Tests are done for the next two weeks! And, inadvertantly, this chapter's name was inspired by some of the test material I had to study. Oi, I'm a geek. Anyways, I've been wanting to get back to writing this for a week now. I'm finally getting to the parts that I want to write so badly. So, we're all in luck. Yay!

This chapter has a lot of foreshadowing. Let's see if you can piece it together later on.

NOTE (10/3): Changed and edited some material.

WARNING: Rated T for...well, you'll see.

Enjoy!

* * *

**To Assign Meaning**

They finally managed to reach Buzz's suite. It looked nothing like the captain's quarters of the dingy metal and wood boxes they called ships back on Earth; Jessie noticed that immediately. Heck, it was the size of her house put together, especially since a kitchen, a living area, and a double-sized bathroom were included with the luxury package.

"Not bad." She commented after a whistle, nodding her head in approval.

"Almost all of the rooms are like this." Buzz implied modestly, turning on the lights. "By the way, how did you and Woody plan on sleeping on the cruiser, since you two signed up after room reservations were made?"

"Well…"Jessie sang sweetly. "We kind of hoped to linger in here…well, when you weren't usin' it a course."

The ranger raised an eyebrow at her fake innocent grin. He shook his head and chuckled lightly.

"Woody's idea, I presume?" He asked rhetorically. "Sure, why not? I'm not gonna be in here often anyway. I have to keep patrolling and monitoring what's happening with the rest of the rangers."

"I think that lieutenant's got ya covered." The cowgirl winked and laughed lightly as she examined the fridge's contents.

"He doesn't know a thing." Buzz retorted rather roughly. "I swear, if he causes any sort of problem, even a mere distraction, I'll degrade him back to cadet."

Jessie's vivacious demeanor faded as the joking atmosphere halted abruptly. As Buzz continued to fume silently to himself, she carefully closed the fridge door and eyed him warily. She feigned from sighing heavily.

"You know, you work yourself too hard all the time, Buzz." She stated, shifting her gaze to the various objects decorating the room. "It's honestly not healthy or helpful."

Her statement startled him out of his reverie. The ranger noticed she suddenly seemed uncomfortable and anxious. He cringed slightly.

"I know, but this mission has a lot at stake, thousands of lives. I cannot let a single flaw put that at risk. I've been doing this for years now, when McCarn hasn't. I've seen what happens when...well…"

The cowgirl sighed, but not in frustration; her fallen expression assured him of that. She agreed with him and could not deny he was unethical or rash in his duties. Besides, she knew he would always be serious and strict with his job, he always had been. Yet, something still bothered her.

"Then I guess Woody and I are being burdens too." Jessie concluded, seating herself on his bed. "If a Star Command _lieutenant _doesn't have enough experience, who are we to say we deserve being here more than he does? We're not even Space Rangers."

"That's not what I meant!" Buzz tried to backtrack quickly, realizing the point he had actually made during his rant. "I-it's not about experience…it's a-about who he is."

"He's a rich kid with an intelligence level that exceeds every single Earthling's put together." She reminded, remembering part of his earlier description of the lieutenant. "And I'm a rag doll who doesn't even know what a darn rock…rock-at…oh, forget it!"

The ranger did not say anything. He merely watched as the cowgirl pulled her legs onto the bed and cuddled her knees against her chest. He had seen that reaction one too many times. Sighing, he rubbed one of his temples as he sat himself near her feet. She kept her expression tensely uncertain.

"Jess, are you still letting that woman get to you?" Buzz asked gently.

Her emerald eyes closed tightly as an image of the unsightly old hag invaded her mind.

"She's no different than the ones back home."

Buzz raised an eyebrow, his curiosity growing.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought that, maybe, things would be different in…'this' world." Jessie reiterated. "I thought that maybe everyone would be considered equal, includin' women. Sure, they preach equality in my country, but it's men and men only. Women gotta be good wives and child-bearers for our husbands so _they _can live with a great reputation. When women step outta line, you might as well start diggin' your grave then cause not only will the men beat you with criticism, but the elder women will do it too. Jus' like that hag. The California governor, the mayor, the farmers' wives, even my own grandmother…all considered me ragged because I wanted to be different, do something I loved."

The captain was surprised to see she had not spilled a tear yet. He could only imagine how long that issue had been bothering her to render her eyes completely dry.

"I thought things would be different here since you guys are so advanced." She continued softly. "Guess I was jus' foolin' myself."

"So, you wanted to see what life was like here?" It wasn't the direction he wanted to take the conversation, but for some reason, he felt this needed to be addressed first. "I-is that why you came?"

"Well," she paused for a moment, "half the reason…"

Buzz could only hope he interpreted that answer correctly. He turned himself to face her more directly, reaching up to take off her red, leather hat. He wanted to see her face clearly.

"Jess, I honestly think every society is going to be unbalanced one way or another, whether it concerns gender, species, class, you name it." The ranger began. "It's natural and flawed, nothing's perfect. Trust me, I know that for a fact."

"No one looks at your flaws, though." Jessie commented, her voice thick with dismay. "You're perfect to them, the 'prodigy of Star Command.' That lady wanted you to marry a freaking twelve year old!"

"That's not the point I'm making." Buzz sighed, exasperation slowly forming at the memory of the frightened little girl. "Those people don't matter, especially not to me. The ones that do are the ones who actually care about _me, _not themselves and what I can do for them. I've only gotten that much attention because I have ceaselessly chased after an elite villain like a deranged maniac for so many years. I still can't help myself and I honestly don't know how I'm going to cope once I'm taken off the battlefield."

He sighed heavily after the last remark, but quickly tried to shake the thought away when he spoke up again. He needed to get his point across then and there. If not, he risked the chance of never seeing her beyond the mission. Why would she come visit him if she always felt she would be degraded on sight?

"Who cares about what the public thinks? They don't know you for who you really are. And the people who actually do are people who feel the same as you do, misunderstood and misjudged. Mira, a princess of her own planet, goes through this, but she doesn't see you as ragged. She thinks you're a strong woman, just by the few times you two have actually met. Woody's name is practically written in every California town newspaper for his deeds, yet he made you, not another man, his deputy. Why? For the same reasons. And I, the so-called hero of Star Command, fell in lo–"

Buzz choked almost immediately when he realized how close he came to revealing his deepest secret to the one person he wanted to keep it hidden from the most. His cheeks heated in an eruption of color, the increasing speed of his blood pumping a red shade all over his face. If this didn't show he was flawed, heck, he didn't know what would.

He turned away as quickly as he could, trying to avoid Jessie's intent gaze. The cowgirl was not stupid and had probably figured out what he almost said. In every other situation, he made sure he was always careful, always alert. It seemed utterly impossible for him whenever she was around. She exposed more of his flaws than a therapist could.

A delicate hand rested on his shoulder plate, pushing forth enough pressure to encourage reassurance. Buzz finally gave in and caught the shimmering gaze that melted him so.

For many moments, they merely gazed at each other as they had done so many times before. It developed into a ritual that they performed almost every time he visited her, despite their continuous silence about the mutual affections they felt. It gave them the opportunity to memorize every feature, every color, and every breath of the other so they could create a perfect clone in their dreams. The vivid azure and the emerald shades of their eyes became their sanctuary beyond reality.

After a while, Jessie could not help but smile lightly. Buzz's stomach fluttered at the sight and he could not resist reaching up to stroke her flushed cheek, slipping his glove off to feel the calm heat of her skin on the back of his fingers. She slowly closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, taking a deep breath as exhilaration sparked within her at the contact.

Buzz began to lean in.

He suspended his mouth in front of hers as he rested a hand lightly on her thigh, an implied gesture for her to relax her tense muscles. Their heavy breaths shuttered from the force of their now rapidly beating hearts. The vibration that resulted scattered their nerves throughout every inch of their bodies. Their proximity encased them in a bubble of electricity and they could not help the intensity of the unrefined passion that began to surge within them.

They had waited for the right time for five long years. They would not ignore the opportunity.

Jessie initiated the kiss, her eagerness no longer able to be kept at bay. Her soft lips tenderly slid along Buzz's as she waited for a response. Soon enough, his mouth explored every part of the cowgirl's as he, not only reacted to her touch, but also to the desires that he finally freed from his shielded heart.

As Buzz pressed himself closer against her, Jessie gripped his upper arms to keep herself sitting upright. Since he began returning her kiss, the ranger had positioned himself in between her bent knees, continuing to rest a hand on both her thigh and her cheek. The cowgirl never let the ferverous caresses of her lips dull as Buzz heated the kisses to the point where she felt as if she were swallowing fire.

In a bold move, she slightly grazed her tongue along his bottom lip. For a moment, he halted the kiss and Jessie immediately feared she had gone too far. She did not worry long, however, as the hand resting on her cheek glided to the back of her head and proceeded to push their mouths closer together. He copied her previous action and both explored the riveting taste of the other.

The spontaneity of the moment made Buzz more and more curious about the desires he had kept pent up so long for Jessie. He wanted to test them, see how they inspired and enlivened the both of them. Yet, the sensation did feel unusual to him. It almost felt as if he were losing control, as if someone else was pulling his strings. He did not want that feeling to fade, though, and he continued to act upon its influence.

The hand that held the back of Jessie's head had since implanted its fingers into the tight, scarlet hair that began her braid. He slid his fingers down, though, until they pressed against the back of her neck as his thumb slowly stroked her jaw line before resting underneath the edge of her chin. Buzz tilted her head back gingerly as he removed his lips from hers.

Jessie automatically breathed in heavily to refill her lungs with air, but wound up inhaling one large breath as she felt warm lips press against her neck. Motivated by her reaction, Buzz continued to massage her neck and collarbone with chaste, tender kisses. The cowgirl quickly began to lose her hold on his arms as her muscles swooned from the pleasure of Buzz's caresses. The captain noticed this, however, and snaked the arm resting on her thigh underneath her upper back. He held her upright tightly as her hands finally slipped.

Jessie barely managed to stifle a moan of utter content as Buzz's waves of passion continued to spill through broken dams. Slowly, she began to slip further into the reaches of pure bliss.

An earsplitting crash brought her back to reality. The ship suddenly lurched and several violent vibrations ripped through its very core, coming from the noise and force of what sounded like an eruption. Jessie and Buzz broke apart, startled and a little disoriented, but the ranger immediately resorted to his defensive instincts.

He pushed the cowgirl flat onto the bed and quickly placed himself over her as the ceiling lamp hanging over them snapped off its chain from the vibrations. It fell onto Buzz's armored back and the glass decorating it shattered into thousands of pieces. At that, he wrapped his arms around Jessie's head and leaned against her slightly, making sure she was covered and protected from any other falling objects.

Soon, the ship stilled, the vibrations finally finishing their course through its metal body. When he believed it was safe, Buzz shoved himself onto his knees and activated his communicator.

"Lieutenant McCarn, what the heck happened down there?" The captain shouted, still shaken a bit. "Lieutenant!"

"_Sir, Lieutenant McCarn is dead." _Another voice answered, picking up the transmission.

Buzz froze for a moment, glancing quickly to Jessie who had since sat up. She returned his shocked expression before it faded into sorrow. The captain swallowed his emotions as he continued to speak into his communicator.

"Then who is this and what happened?"

"_I am Chief Warrant Officer Torque, captain." _The ranger sounded as if he were almost out of breath. "_There was an enormous explosion in the crystallic engine reactors. The back of the ship is practically gone. We are currently proceeding to evacuate passengers and crewmen to the front of the cruiser." _

"Good." Buzz replied as another headache quickly began to form. "See what damage has been done and assess the cause. I will be down there in five minutes. Make sure every person on this ship stays on this ship, understood?"

"_Yes, sir!"_

When the connection died, Buzz pinched the bridge of his nose. Things could never go easy for him, especially when it mattered most. He turned to Jessie, who had not moved at all during the exchange. Her face held an expression mixed with fear, worry, shock, and, most notably, disappointment. The ranger sighed heavily before he stood up from the bed and began to slip on his discarded glove.

"This sounds very serious." He stated the obvious. "I don't know what type of danger we're in right now, but I need to go down there. I want you to stay– "

"Oh, no you don't!" The cowgirl cut him off, practically vaulting off the bed while carefully avoiding the glass shards. "I came here to help you, no matter what happened. I'm not gonna sit here and wait, so don't even suggest it!"

"Not until I see what we're up against." Buzz retorted gently. "When I figure out what to do, then you can come down. I need someone up here just in case something happens down there."

Jessie's glare softened at his confident tone and understood the logic in his strategy.

"All right, I get it." She agreed. "But if you don't call in twenty minutes– "

"I'll let you know, I promise." The ranger assured her, gently resting a hand against her cheek. "But for right now, go check on the helmsmen; see if they need any medical care or help. Call me once you do."

"Ok." Jessie replied simply, watching as Buzz prepared to sprint down the hall.

"Oh, and one more thing." The captain paused and gave her, what she considered, the most serious look he had ever given her. "Put on a Space Ranger suit. No complaints."

* * *

Yeah...it's adventure time!


	6. To Asses the Damage

So, I thought this chapter was going to be ten times longer, but I decided to split it in two. I also realized how cliche this story is *cough cough Titanic cough*...oh well, that's intertextuality for ya. I just really hope you guys are enjoying it at least. The Toy Story craze seems to have died down a bit since June. Hopefully it'll pick up again in November (DVD!).

Here's to you!

WARNING: Rated T due to scary images.

* * *

**To Asses the Damage**

Chaos.

Utter chaos.

The screams and yells deafened every ear; the mass crowd of thousands of panicking life forms filled the sight of every eye; the twisted metal, shattered glass, cracked marble, enflamed plaster and scattered, lifeless bodies shuttered every nerve.

That was the sight that met Buzz once he entered the ballroom.

The magnificent gathering area previously had its back wall lining the beginning chambers of the crystallic engines, which powered the cruiser from the bow. Plaster, metal, and wood had merely constructed that wall. Only the edge of the explosion had penetrated it, but nevertheless, it never stood a chance. A gaping, flaming hole marred where the wall once stood.

People, aliens, and creatures alike swarmed with panic, no longer adhering to any sense of logic. Space Rangers littered the room, some hovering above, some struggling within the crowd. No one took notice of their commands to remain calm. No one cared. The more they tried to save themselves, the more confusion they created.

Buzz could not even survey the entire situation before a stampede headed in his direction once a few rangers opened the ballroom doors to let him inside. The barricade had been set not to induce more danger, but to prevent it. Too many people had already been hurt in the pandemonium; order needed to be established before an evacuation could commence.

Activating, his jet pack, Buzz ordered his officers to shut the doors again and proceeded to hover stiffly in the air. The crowd still continued to resist his rangers, but several stopped at the sight of him, returning some peace among the cries and yells.

"All right, listen up!" The captain bellowed, trying to overpower the crowd's disordered voice. "Listen!"

A resounding whistle screeched to a pitch that caused nearly everyone in the room to cringe and shutter uncomfortably. Even Buzz found the noise terrible and unbearable, but as he looked toward its source, he smirked slightly in approval.

"Listen to Captain Lightyear!" Sheriff Woody yelled aloud once he removed his fingers from his mouth, ending the whistle that succeeded in quieting the majority of the crowd.

Tipping his head, Buzz nonverbally thanked his spur-clad friend, glad to see him all right and raring to help. He quickly turned back to the crowd before he could lose their attention.

"You all must listen and follow directions or it will take ten times longer to evacuate everyone off the cruiser. If you refuse, we will keep you in here as long as it takes for you comply." He knew it sounded unethical, but so many things had gone wrong already because of the chaos. "Now, only a quarter of the ship's passengers are in this room. You will be directed to a certain number of escape shuttles, enough to fit everyone here. The other passengers throughout the ship will be directed elsewhere, but you will not mix with them."

An uproar ensued among half of the crowd at that announcement.

"What about my family?"

"My wife is still in our room!"

"I will not leave my jewelry behind!"

"If you wish to meet up with family or friends, then you may go to them once we release you, but in an orderly fashion. If not, you will be directed immediately toward the shuttles." Buzz informed based upon a second's decision. "However, you will not be permitted to return to your suites for trivial items such as jewelry or money. We are here to ensure your lives are protected. Those things can be replaced."

He made sure to address that issue with strict adamancy. Even thinking about some of the crowd's desperate pleas to retrieve such unnecessary luxury items made him bristle. However, when no one else seemed to argue with his decisions, he collected himself once again.

"All right, Ensigns Krusch and Grep, direct them to the shuttles." Buzz commanded as he returned to his officers. "Take some cadets with you. Warrant Ulder, take a few other officers and some cadets to help those who wish to meet with to their loved ones. Make sure they remain calm or refer them to the shuttles. Everyone else is to keep the crowd calm and orderly. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Those addressed responded.

"Good. Chief Warrant Torque…"

The ranger who picked up his transmission earlier swiftly responded to his captain's call. He ran up beside him and saluted dutifully.

"Did you figure out the cause of the explosion?" Buzz asked as he continued to examine the crowd.

"A bomb, sir."

The captain quickly turned to the alien ranger, surprise evident in his expression.

"A bomb?"

"Yes, sir." Torque confirmed sadly. "We do not know who planted it in the engines, but it was skillfully placed, during a time when we were switching shifts, sir."

Buzz narrowed his eyes as he contemplated those facts. There had been only one officer he had sent to the bow…

"And what of Lieutenant McCarn?" He asked carefully, almost sure he already knew the answer.

"He and several other cadets were patrolling the area–" The chief warrant paused. "Wait, sir, you don't think…"

"Captain!"

The two officers' conversation was interrupted by the voice of a female ensign. She raced toward them and stopped short. Without even waiting for her captain to address her, she began to speak quickly.

"Sir, due to the lack of power now running to the cruiser's engines and reactors, the oxygen is depleting rapidly. There have been many oxygen sensitive species all ready suffering from the depletion, sir."

That was the last thing Buzz wanted to hear. Without even acknowledging the information, he pressed the button that closed his helmet, his space suit's oxygen tanks soon activating. The other two officers followed suit and awaited his commands.

"Then we need to start the evacuations now." He finally decided. "No distractions and no delays, we cannot afford them anymore. Stay with the plan I addressed to the crowd. Keep your communicators on, that's the only way I'll be able to reach everyone. Once a shuttle is full, let it go. I want to save as many lives as possible."

"Yes, sir!"

The two ran off promptly and began to lead the crowd toward the escape shuttles. Buzz decided he needed to find a place where he could overlook everything. Yet, as he turned to head toward the main entrance room, a hand grasped his shoulder and quickly rotated him back. He almost swore to whoever halted his progress until he noticed Woody standing above him. He nearly swore at the sight of the cowboy.

"Where do you want me, ranger?" The sheriff's face seemed quite serious despite his casual tone.

The sight itself reassured the captain. What would he do without Woody?

"Just follow me."

* * *

"Confounded…stupid little…ugh!"

Jessie nearly fell on her face for the fourth time as she struggled to pull on the boot that came with the borrowed Space Ranger suit she now wore. It just barely fit her, a little tight around her waist, chest, and thighs. The boot itself sealed into an airtight lock at the bottom of her greaves, but since she was new to the advancements of space armor, the cowgirl struggled terribly with getting the boot on her foot. Of course, running down the corridor toward the bridge did not make the task any easier.

"Why can't I just wear my clothes?" She questioned herself. "It's not like I'm actually going _outside_ the ship. Well, I'm sure not takin' off my hat, no matter what he says…"

Finally managing to lock her boot into place, the cowgirl proceeded to sprint down the rest of the corridor, following the occasional signs planted onto the walls. After a few more minutes, she reached a closed double door entrance, the one she had been searching for.

"All right, now to open the door…" Jessie murmured. "Ah!"

A large, red button on the side wall called her name and she enthusiastically slapped it. The doors slid open abruptly, giving her access to the main control room of the cruiser.

Not a light was on. No sound, no movement, nothing.

Jessie could not help but feel intimidated by the stillness she met as she cautiously entered the bridge. A long-time fear of the dark kept her on edge. She examined the machine-ridden walls; none of them ran. It seemed all of the power had shut down due to the effects of the explosion. As much as she disliked the unnatural hum of the machines, Jessie found the silence unnerving. Not even the dim green glow from her suit's glow-in-the-dark feature could comfort her.

"He-hello?" She called out, hoping to receive an answer.

None came.

The bridge's quarters eventually opened to reveal three seats facing an intricate console of buttons, keyboards, and gauges. They too received no power. The controls to the ship, however, did not attract the cowgirl's attention in the slightest.

The man lying on top of it caught her awareness first. Another lay heaped on the floor and a third remained strapped in his seat. It took a lot of personal persuasion for Jessie to reach out and examine the man lying lifelessly on the console. However, a quick glance at his face cause her to instinctively jump away in fright. He was dead. At a distance, she peeked down toward the one on the floor, convinced that his far-seeing stare and the drying pool of greenish blood underneath him was enough to confirm his fate.

The third's well-being still remained a mystery, however. All ready shaken considerably, Jessie reluctantly glanced over the helmsman sitting limply in his seat. His chest rose and fell sporadically and he twitched every other second. Curious, Jessie leaned a little closer toward his face, noticing he seemed very pale–

"_Jessie!"_

The cowgirl yelped and threw herself backward, slamming into the wall. It took her a moment to realize the arm communicator on her suit had turned on, relaying Buzz's voice from the lower levels of the cruiser. She pressed a hand against her chest.

"What?" She cried loudly, trying to calm her nerves.

"_What are you yelling at me for?" _Buzz questioned. "_You're the one who wanted me to call."_

"Just, what?" Jessie asked again, breathing heavily.

"_What happened? Have you reached the bridge yet? Are the helmsmen all right?"_

"Yes, I'm at the bridge…but…" The cowgirl swallowed. "B-Buzz, two of them are dead…"

"…_crap…all right, j-just calm down." _His voice tried to sound comforting despite the voices yelling in the background. _"I'll send a few rangers your way to help you with the injured helmsman then come down here, ok?"_

"Y-yeah…" Jessie responded, trying hard to recollect herself.

"_Good…no, sir you must keep going with the crowd…all right, Jess, it shouldn't be more than five minutes." _She nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. _"And make sure you keep the helmet on your suit over your head at all costs. The oxygen in the ship is depleting rapidly and soon enough you won't be able to breathe. Do not deactivate it for anything, understood?"_

She ignored his authoritative tone and agreed, proceeding to take her hat off as she pushed the button to close her helmet. The closeness of the air inside the small space was soon relieved as cool oxygen began to fill the makeshift bubble around her head.

"Understood, admiral." Jessie grinned slightly at the small jab despite her situation.

"_Jessie, it's cap–" _

The cruiser suddenly lurched violently again. The force of another explosion sent it careening sideways from its stilled position in the weightlessness of space. Jessie immediately grabbed onto one of the unoccupied helmsmen seats and propped her feet against the steepening tilt of the circulating ship. Looking outside the cruiser's viewing window, the star peppered blackness of space no longer met her eyes. Instead, the greens and grays of a planet's ever-nearing surface filled her view.

And soon enough, the cruiser would collide with it.

"Buzz!" Jessie cried at her communicator. "Buzz, we're heading straight for a planet! We're gonna crash!"

Only static answered her.

"Buzz?" The cowgirl's worries shifted quickly. "Buzz!"

But it didn't matter how much she called his name.

Only static answered her.


	7. To Crash

Gah! *head-desk*

Yeah, found out today I have four tests in one day (again except +1 more) next week. So, unfortunately, I won't be updating again until they are over. I'm sorry guys, but school comes first. Isn't college awesome? X^O

Anyway, this chapter was pretty tough to write, with all the descriptions and whatnot. Sorry if it's alot, but it's not easy writing action scenes. Hope you guys enjoy!

**WARNING**: Rated T due to scary images.

* * *

**To Crash**

He could barely see a thing when he opened his eyes. Dust and weightless debris floated thickly in the air, as if a surreal, milky fog had descended upon the whole ship. Yet, when Woody's involuntary senses did not smell smoke or the stifling stench of broken plaster, he grew curious. Heck, there was _nothing_ there for his nostrils to breathe in…

It took him a moment to realize it, but there was practically no oxygen left in the air. His lungs burned and his head felt utterly lightheaded, but the sheriff only realized then the trouble he was in. Naturally, he began to panic, searching about him for some sort of lifesaver. He knew he probably wouldn't recognize an object such as that even if he looked straight at it. Yet, he knew one thing and one thing only that could save him, a Space Ranger suit.

An opportunity soon revealed itself, but Woody wasn't entirely sure he could go through with it. Lying a few feet away was a lifeless ranger, one who had unfortunately been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The laser on his arm gauntlet, however, still glowed brightly. The suit still worked.

Holding his breath, Woody crawled with waning strength to the ranger. He ignored his morals and acted on impulse, unlocking the straps that held the ranger's chest plate in place. His bodily storage of oxygen continued to drain rapidly the more he worked his muscles. The heavy beats of his dying heart was deafening in his ears. He had to ignore everything or there would be nothing left to ignore.

He tugged the chest plate off the ranger, closed the helmet, and ensured the oxygen tanks were connected. Disregarding the other parts to the suit, he slipped into the oversized chest plate and shoved his head through the collar...

Oxygen. Sweet, sweet oxygen.

Gasping and coughing roughly, Woody breathed the air the suit now provided him in gulps. His head and lungs suddenly throbbed, pulsing with the rapid beats of his heart. His whole body seemed to come back to life abruptly after drifting in a daze, waiting quietly for the end.

Woody vowed he would never make fun of Buzz's suit _ever_ again.

The chest plate itself was quite robust for his lanky figure, but it fit well enough. He knew, though, that he had to put on the rest of it as well. The sheriff turned once again to the undressed ranger. He paused after finally being given a chance to glance at his savior's young face. It relieved him a bit to see it was peaceful. Once he removed and put on what was left of the suit, he silently thanked and prayed for the young ranger.

Standing up, Woody decided to take in his surroundings. The debris fog had not settled and probably wouldn't due to the cruiser's decreasing amount of gravity. Only a few humanistic figures could be seen moving about, reawakening from the temporary unconsciousness the second explosion had riddled them with.

The explosion.

"Oh my...Buzz."

Woody began to race around, weaving through both the wreckage and the various creatures, either dead or alive.

"Buzz!" Woody called, looking from side to side, knowing it was probably useless to waste his voice. "C'mon Buzz, where are you?"

He realized he was in the grand entrance room, the same room where he and Jessie first met up with the Star Command captain to help with his mission. Woody hadn't known what to expect, none of them did, but a terrorist attack was not one idea he would've come up with. Yes, he once thought the duties of Space Rangers were quite hilarious after he met Buzz for the first time.

Woody knew for sure he would never laugh at such a notion ever again.

"Buzz!" The sheriff's dry vocal cords caught and he found himself in another coughing fit.

His near death experience left him quite weak since his body wished to recuperate. The oversized suit was heavier than Woody anticipated and he had to put forth a lot of effort to lift his legs. But he wouldn't give up on his friend. He would never be able to forgive himself if he did.

_Chhhhhh_.

Woody jumped as static blared through the speakers on his helmet's headrest. It lasted for a few moments and then cut off. He stood still, listening. He wondered if the space suit had actually acquired damage, his movements triggering some sort of malfunction that caused the static.

_Chhhh. Chh._

Suddenly, the static didn't sound accidental. There was a second's pause in its length, like some sort of pattern.

_Chhhh. Chh._

It sounded too purposeful, as if something or someone was manipulating the amount of static that transferred through the communicator. Woody gasped aloud in realization.

Buzz was calling for him.

"Buzz!" He cried toward his speakers. "If you can hear me, I'm comin' for ya. Just hold on, partner."

The captain was hurt. Woody knew for a fact that the ranger would have answered him, heck, probably would have looked for him, instead of giving no indication of his whereabouts. Glancing around, the sheriff finally decided to look toward the ceiling or what was left of it. Buzz had been flying when the explosion occurred, checking over the condition of, what had been, the large crowd of passengers. The debris smoke screen had thinned somewhat and Woody recognized where the ranger had flown. He would check around that area first.

Searching for a few moments, Woody soon found relief in the form of a short-looking ranger lying among several large pieces of crumbled stone from the destroyed, courtyard fountain. The sheriff made his way over swiftly.

"Buzz, I'm here. You're gonna be all right. I'll getcha outta here."

Woody was only trying to reassure them both, but soon realized the captain could not hear him. Buzz lied unconscious on his side, a hand resting limply near his sparking arm communicator. His suit appeared mangled, melted, and severely bent, especially around his torso. His wings had each snapped in half and his jet pack leaked silvery fuel. To the sheriff, the ranger looked no better than an abused, abandoned toy left to rot in a dump.

Yet, Woody wasted no time in aiding his injured friend. Gingerly, he turned Buzz onto his back. The captain seemed to awake and groan painfully, but due to his broken communicator, Woody could not hear anything. Nevertheless, the sheriff grabbed one of Buzz's arms and sat him up before ducking underneath the same arm, wrapping it around his armored shoulders. The ranger shifted, writhing against the hurt Woody was causing him by trying to insufficiently move him, but the sheriff ignored his physical protests.

"I'm sorry, partner." Woody apologized earnestly after finally succeeding in forcing Buzz to stand with him. "But I'm not gonna lose my best friend and I'm definitely not gonna let Jessie lose you eith–"

He froze abruptly at the thought, his mouth hanging agape.

"Oh my God. Jessie!"

* * *

Despite her worries, her fears, and her screaming conscious, Jessie remained rooted where she had steadied herself. She clutched the fabric of the helmsman seat, staring through the bridge's viewing window. The cruiser continued to hurtle toward the surface of the adjacent planet, thoroughly caught in its gravitational pull after being pushed into it by the force of the second explosion. The cowgirl didn't need any fancy machine telling her how many meters they had until impact. She knew enough they had only minutes left.

Her communicator continued to relay severe levels of static. She stopped crying at it a long while ago, figuring no one could hear her anyway. Jessie refused to believe the worst, though, not at all satisfied with the 'worst case scenario.' Her imagination liked to charge along on rampages often, even in the most insignificant situations, but that time, she outright rejected the belief that _he_ was dead. Deep down in her heart, an unnatural sensation insisted she not worry, a sixth-sense telling her the truths of what she did not know.

She refused to ignore it.

After several moments, Jessie eventually settled on examining the bridge. Not one supply closet, bathroom, or anything related existed in the room. Nothing could truly protect her when the time would come for her to duck and cover. The door she entered through earlier had closed because the second explosion had finally extinguished the rest of the electrical power on the cruiser.

There was no way out.

Jessie decided to futilely glance around the room again to double check her options when she noticed movement in the shadows to her left. Freezing, the cowgirl stared at the darkened area, unsure about investigating what she saw. Whenever she was left alone in the dark, her mind would play awful tricks on her, make her believe things lurked and snuck around her, waiting until she was completely vulnerable…

That's when she remembered the living helmsman.

She timidly stepped forward, her glowing Space Ranger suit revealing the injured pilot once again; however, he was no longer unconscious. With a dim light shining upon him suddenly, he awkwardly turned his attention to her, his pale face illuminated an eerie green the closer she drew. When he realized what stood before him, he immediately began to react.

"Miss, wh-what happened? Wh-what's…is that a planet?"

She could barely hear his weak tone through the thickness of her helmet, but she heard him clearly. Turning her head, Jessie noticed the cruiser had entered the planet's upper atmosphere, the tiled hull heating up and beginning to flame due to the intense friction of the cruiser's speed against the air.

The helmsman began to breathe heavier as he realized their situation finally. He faced Jessie again, wavering on whether or not he should express fear or determination.

"Miss, does your suit still fly?"

Jessie gave him a bewildered look.

"What?"

"Your suit, your jet pack." He nodded his head toward her back. "Does it still work?"

"I–I um…I'm not sure." The cowgirl hesitated not sure about where he was going with his idea.

"You c-can carve a hole in the viewing w-window with your laser…" The helmsman decided to explain. "You can f-fly us out…be-before the c-crash…"

Jessie could not help but stare at him with wide eyes. No, no she couldn't because she didn't know _how _to do _any _of those things. When she put on the suit, she never expected to actually use the weapons. It was solely meant to protect and help her communicate with Buzz. That was it.

"I don't know how…" She confessed, embarrassed.

"You're not a Space Ranger?"

The helmsman appeared utterly mortified after Jessie's silent response. The cowgirl redirected her gaze away for a moment, her cheeks flushing. When she looked back to his face, the blush deepened with shame. The man held an expression of disappointment and disdain, as if she committed a great crime against him and his 'Galactic Alliance.' She was a liar, impersonator, and whatever other names he could probably come up with.

That gaze alone made her feel like a failure.

The cruiser suddenly wobbled violently, aiming directly for an open desert on the planet's dry surface. Jessie's attention shifted from shame to horror, inwardly counting the seconds.

That's when her instincts kicked in automatically.

Shutting down her thoughts, she merely acted on her animalistic impulses to survive. She quickly spotted a solution to her fatal problem. Not noticing it before, she realized the control panel had been built in a way to provide leg room for the helmsmen. Underneath, it slanted into the wall, providing a thick buffer-zone from the front of the cruiser to the legs usually situated underneath. It wasn't much protection, but it would have to be enough.

Ignoring anything the helmsman said to her, Jessie swiftly unbuckled his seatbelt and lifted him off the chair, utilizing a level of strength she didn't even know she had. She bent down and, as carefully as she could, shoved the pilot underneath the thick panel. Before joining him, she glanced out the viewing window one last time, seeing nothing but a mass of yellow and grey sand approaching quickly.

She ducked under just as she heard the deafening sound of metal crunching and screeching as a brutal wave of thunder ripped throughout the ship…

…and then she saw a light. It radiated beyond her closed eyelids and she did not know where it came from, but its warmth comforted her cold, sweat-drenched skin. She could not remember where she was, what she had been doing, but it felt so nice and she wished to open her eyes to see it…

Jessie regretted that action immediately. She could not restrain an agonizing groan from escaping her lips as pain seared her right side upon her awakening. She tried to glance down to see, but the cowgirl quickly realized that all movement easily agitated whatever injury she had recently sustained. Still curious, though, she lifted up her heavy, armored arm and nearly fainted again when she saw crimson blood drip off the white titanium, landing on the metal floor beneath her. Seeing enough after that, she soon resolved to gently return her arm to her throbbing side.

She remembered what happened; it was painstakingly obvious by the evidence lying chaotically around her. Her upper body stuck out from underneath the now-dented console. Two of the helmsman chairs had been thrown across the bridge. The helmsman she hoped she saved lied motionless beside her. Everything was in an utter disarray of disaster.

The cowgirl eventually realized the sunlight that now shined annoyingly in her eyes had been the light she had dreamed of. She had hoped it was real, to take away the pain now riddling her, but she knew what a 'warm light' signified. She was glad that she did not have to face that yet.

But that awareness only lasted a minute when a shadow suddenly blocked out the light. Confused, Jessie slowly turned her head to the viewing window to see the cause. Her eyes widened.

Another ship, another massive ship descended steadily through the atmosphere, just a few miles from them. It prepared to land readily on the planet, undamaged and healthy, as if landing because of the wrecked cruiser. For a moment, the cowgirl's heart wept in joy. They were going to be all right. They were going to be ok…

Until the ship turned just enough to reveal an enormous, sharp-written "Z" painted gold on its side. Jessie's smile faded in a flash, knowing exactly what that dreaded symbol meant…

Zurg had come to their rescue.

* * *

Yes, the last line is pure sarcasm. :)


	8. To Be Imprisoned

Hey, sorry guys. Didn't mean to keep you waiting. I somehow survived the four tests I had to take last week, so I'm ready to get back into the action.

First, I wanna thank everyone who's reviewed so very much. I will try my best to comment back, but please believe me when I say I love your comments sooo much.

Second, there's a piece of "Reunited" in this chapter that I felt belonged here better than later. I modified it a tiny bit.

Third, please enjoy. :)

Fourth, _Please _Review!

**WARNING**: **Rated T** for some content.

* * *

**To Be Imprisoned**

"_Are they dead?"_

"_The girl and the helmsman still live."_

"_Who is this girl? What does it say on her suit?"_

"_It says 'Nova,' sir, but she's not the Tangean princess."_

"_Obviously…Figure out who she is. I want to know."_

"_Yes, sir."_

…

A blaring, fluorescent light momentarily blinded Jessie the next time she opened her eyes. It wasn't heavenly or soothing, but artificial and unnerving. Blinking furiously to adjust her sight, she looked away from the bright light above to her new, unfamiliar surroundings.

She occupied a small, plain room, lying on a rickety bed with a thin, uneven mattress surrounded by whitewashed, undecorated walls. A couple of metal cabinets and counters rested against the opposite wall next to a stainless steel sink. Several gauze pads, roller bandages, syringes, and medication bottles littering the countertop, strewn about in an unorganized fashion.

She was left alone in an eerie silence.

When she tried to sit up, Jessie realized her wrists were bound to either side of the bed, indicating she had not always been alone. She did not fight against the bonds, however, especially since her efforts to sit up caused a sharp pain to pierce her side. Her body abruptly awakened due to the uncomfortable aches and the cowgirl began to clearly recall everything that landed her in the position she was in.

But how long ago was that? Where was she, for that matter? What…awaited her beyond that room?

The room's lone door suddenly opened a crack and Jessie snapped her head up to gaze at it. Her heartbeats quickened and thumped loudly in her ears. Her imagination ran wild, anticipating what she had to face once the creature at the door entered the room. Soon enough, the door slid open completely.

She honestly did not expect what she saw.

The alien that entered the room had neither animalistic features nor a living body. His skin wasn't a different color, he did not have any additional limbs or heads, no. Out of all the strange, interesting creatures Jessie had the liberty to see since her departure from Earth, this one won the grand prize. He was merely a brain, pink, wrinkly, and lush, floating inside a liquid-filled jar. The jar itself acted as the "head" to a purple and red mechanical body the alien used to move around with, rolling along mentally on three wheels.

What caught the cowgirl's heightened attention, though, was the fact that it had eyes settled upon its frontal lobe, alert and functional just like a human's. When those eyes finally landed on her, the Brain Pod's mechanical eyebrows rose.

"Ah, you're awake." The alien noted, his voice sounding oddly natural. "Sooner than I thought, but that's not a problem."

He looked to the clipboard in his three-fingered hands and closed the door gently. He hummed a bit as he glided toward the countertop, beginning to search through the messy material on top. Jessie watched him for a bit, uncertain about how to react to the alien's calm and content demeanor. She honestly did not expect to be treated any greater than the dirt on the ground. Buzz had always told her Zurg's minions' were ruthless and unmerciful, especially when it came to prisoners. Jessie figured that was what she wound up becoming after the emperor found their crashed ship. The humanity this follower showed, though, surprised her immensely.

After a few moments, she cleared her dry throat.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked, her vocals raspy due to their lack of use, something they were not often used to.

"I am Brain Pod 78, a part of the Brain Pod clans that work for my lord, Emperor Zurg." The alien announced. "I am your appointed physician until your wounds heal up completely."

"Physician?" Jessie questioned confusedly.

"Yes, your doctor." The pod reiterated. "Some of the other Brain Pods nicknamed me Doc since I'm the oldest out of all the physicians, but–"

"N-no, I meant…" The cowgirl paused, taking a deep breath. "Why do I have a doctor?"

"Well, you were hurt, of course!" He laughed with much vigor. "The right side to your Space Ranger suit cracked when the cruiser crashed and wound up stabbing you just underneath your ribcage." He picked up a medication bottle and a gauze pad and presented them to her. "Took a bit of work, but you're all patched up. It'll take a few weeks for you to fully heal, though. Speaking of which…"

The Brain Pod rolled over to the bed and flipped a switch at the very bottom. The bonds that kept Jessie's wrists in place retracted, allowing her to move freely once again.

"Didn't want you hurting yourself again if you happened to panic when you woke." He explained, his eyebrows indicating a smile had formed on his non-existent mouth.

Jessie issued a quiet 'thanks' before sitting up slowly on the bed. She didn't realize it until then, but she found herself wearing her normal clothes, the ones she wore underneath the Space Ranger suit. The only pieces of the suit left on her were the boots to cover her bare feet. She did not mind the absence of the space suit; however, the fact that she would probably never be able to find her hat again irritated her.

The doctor continued to hum as he began to clean up the mess he had made when tending to his patient earlier. His movements resembled that of an old man's, one with experience and care. He had not yet spoken a harsh word to her and it did not seem like he ever would. The cowgirl couldn't help but be grateful for her circumstances.

"You're lucky, you know." The Brain Pod commented without looking at her. "A lot of the passengers of that ship did not make it."

Whatever peace that had just settled on Jessie's face slipped away quickly.

"We tried to save as many as we could, but there were too many." He continued. "So, we decided to help the least injured first. Luckily, we only lost a few of that amount."

"H-how many did survive?" The cowgirl asked carefully. "How long ago did all of this happen?"

"The crash occurred two days ago. Yes, that's how long you've been unconscious. During that time, many passed on, but about those who survived the crash, we only know of about a hundred, a hundred-fifty at best." He answered casually, as if he discussed such topics with his patients every day. "That's how many are in our care."

"When you say 'in our care,' you mean imprisoned, right?" Jessie wondered somewhat bitterly.

The Brain Pod paused his cleaning for a moment and sighed heavily, his earlier contentedness deflating. He soon began restocking the cabinets.

"I try to be subtle when mentioning such things. I don't like it any more than you do." He grumbled in a quiet tone. "Besides, despite those few prisoners, thousands of the _Sunnyside_'s passengers escaped before the cruiser even crashed."

The cowgirl's attention peaked at that point, not only because of the good news but because–

"Buzz!" She cried aloud abruptly. "Is Buzz Lightyear one of the prisoners? He was evacuatin' the passengers when an explosion went off and…and he wouldn't answer me…My brother! My brother too! What happened to him?"

"Who is your brother?" The doctor turned slowly, an eyebrow raised.

"He's Woody Pride." Jessie answered almost immediately. "He's a sheriff, tall and lanky, wears a brown cowboy hat, leather boots. He looked nothin' like the other passengers 'cause we're the only two that've come from our planet…"

"Which planet?"

The deputy stopped abruptly. The hasty, interest-ridden question had no relevance to what she was asking about. Almost immediately, Jessie regretted the confessions she just made to a minion of Zurg. She cursed her vivacity for encouraging her to blindly give away such valuable information.

"N-never mind that." She muttered, turning away from the Brain Pod. "Jus' have you seen either one of them?"

The doctor did not answer right away, setting down whatever supplies he held in his hands. He sighed heavily again.

"I am not entirely sure about your brother." He admitted quietly, sincerity threaded in his tone. "He could have been seen by another doctor or not hurt at all. However, about Lightyear…"

Jessie's eyebrows rose, but she kept her mouth stitched shut.

"He's still alive and he is a prisoner." The Brain Pod watched a shimmer of relief pass across the cowgirl's emerald eyes. "But, he won't be for long."

The deputy furrowed her brow again, her mouth now forming a deep frown. Then a horrifying thought occurred to her. The doctor noticed her confused expression change toward one of terror.

"Zurg plans on killing him tonight."

* * *

Pain. For the past two days, that was all that Buzz felt. Whenever he moved an inch, took a deep breath, or sat still for too long, some level of ache would flow through him. But that was just the physical pain.

He occupied a small prison cell in some isolated prison on some remote planet. Of course, Zurg owned and ruled the place as a base beyond Planet Z and made sure it accommodated his prisoners well. The place made an empty warehouse look more hospitable. The cells were lined up in one enormous room with dividers separating regular, injured, and "special" prisoners. The only light that lit up the area was the light emitting from the laser walls of the cells. Other than that, darkness and silence dominated the atmosphere.

Buzz didn't expect anything better than a hard, metal floor and thick, transparent laser walls to comfort him in his cell and was unfortunately proven right. He merely sat against the wall the majority of the time, staring into space or sleeping the long minutes away. He didn't expect to receive any special treatment either and was once again proven right. The treatment he received was worse than average.

The ranger could not remember the moment when the cruiser crashed, but when Zurg's Hornet droids searched through the debris for survivors and found him, he was lying on the highest floor the grand staircase could reach. He caught sight of Woody lying unconscious beside him before the robots resolved to remove them both from the wrecked cruiser. He had not seen the cowboy since.

As a matter of fact, he had not seen Zurg either.

The Hornets had locked him in his cell almost immediately, leaving him to handle his injuries on his own. A Brain Pod doctor had come by not too long after that, though, and removed his destroyed Space Ranger suit to tend to his wounds, leaving him dressed in the silver and purple jumpsuit the ranger always wore underneath. Yet, the doctor only healed him enough to keep him stable, to prevent an untimely, natural death.

Thus, Buzz waited for what the evil emperor had in store for him, not having the strength nor the determination to save himself. In a way, he felt it a justified punishment for all the lives that were lost and the families destroyed during the crash of the _Sunnyside_, all because of his incompetence as a leader.

He could safely say he failed the most important mission of his life.

The door to his cell suddenly slid open, awakening Buzz from the half-sleep he had fallen into. The captain did not look up, expecting the doctor to come inside and check his weak vitals once again.

"Well, well, well." A deep, amused voice mused. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Buzz's eyebrows rose. It couldn't be.

It was. Standing in the doorway was a familiar, black-armored alien. His tall, brawny figure loomed over the captain, his arms crossed and his head tilted to the side. The blue light emitting from the cell walls added color to his natural sapphire skin, yet caused intimidating shadows to bend across the smug grin plastered on his face. He chuckled for a moment as he stepped forward.

"Warp Darkmatter…" Buzz recognized, his blood beginning to sizzle.

"The one and only." Darkmatter commented, his grin widening. "I see you've been doing well, Lightyear."

"Been better." The ranger muttered, turning away.

"Aw, don't be such a downer. You survived a major crash, you should be proud of yourself."

Buzz swallowed hard as he forced himself not to glare at his former partner, the second-in-command of Zurg's forces. Darkmatter's initial betrayal had bothered him enough, but the fact that they still did not have any mutual respect for one another after all those years of being such close friends frustrated him. Yet, he knew the feeling was one-sided.

"What do you want from me?" Buzz growled, still averting his gaze elsewhere.

"What? All I wanted to do was come by and see how my _best friend_ was doing." The former ranger mocked with amusement. "What's wrong with that?"

"The fact that I have a new _best friend_," The captain shot back, "and he's a million times _greater _than you ever were."

For a moment, Darkmatter's expression darkened as his black eyes bore into Buzz's hard azure ones. Then he proceeded to chuckle humorlessly.

"The cowboy, I presume?"

The Space Ranger's eyebrows rose at that comment. How did he know?

"Yes." He confirmed, trying to keep his voice proud.

"And what about the cowgirl?" The villain asked quickly. "She your best friend too?"

Buzz could no longer hide his astonishment as his stomach suddenly lurched uncomfortably. He had regretfully forgotten about Jessie in the midst of his sorrow over his personal failure.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." The ranger stuttered, silently cursing his hesitance.

"Oh really?" Zurg's disciple raised an interested brow. "So you're saying you don't recognize this?"

From behind him, he brought out a wide-brimmed, red, leather hat. Buzz simply stared at it with wide eyes. Never before had he seen the hat so far from its owner, in the hands of the enemy no less. Jessie never let anyone touch her precious hat, claiming it defined who she was as a headstrong cowgirl and a fearless deputy sheriff. She refused to let it out of her sight.

"Judging by your shocked expression, I'll take that as a 'you-bet-I-do.'" Darkmatter answered his own question. "And I _know _you do too. Even Zurg knows."

Buzz shifted a confused gaze onto the villain as the later laughed at the captain's expense.

"You know every bedroom suite, every room, on that cruiser had a security camera." The former ranger began, walking about the small space the cell provided, twirling the hat in his hands. "And since the beginning of the voyage, they had been recording exactly what happened in each of those rooms. Luckily, those recordings survived the crash. I had the liberty of watching some of them, including the one where your cowboy friend showed up for the first time to help his 'best friend.'"

Darkmatter paused his pacing, staring down at the hat in his hands.

"And then there's the one of you with the red-headed cowgirl."

The captain blushed profusely. He knew, almost immediately, the situation the alien was referring to.

"I never thought you could ever get so intimate with a girl, Buzz," Darkmatter grinned amusedly, "especially _that _intimate, on duty no less. Was this girl so special enough that you actually _let _yourself have some fun for once? I mean, I think you two would've gone all the way if McCarn hadn't bombed the engines during your make-out session."

Despite his embarrassments, a surging anger immediately began to fill Buzz at the name of his former lieutenant. He _had_ been right.

"I knew it!" He griped irritably.

"Yeah, well, the kid might have been the most intelligent person in the universe, but he sure didn't have any common sense." Darkmatter remarked. "Did whatever he was told."

"You planned this attack before I was even assigned the mission, didn't you?" Buzz assumed, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You planned to have us crash here on this particular planet, waiting until everything was done with to make your entrance."

"Yup. The _Sunnyside_ had way too many valuable people on board to pass up the opportunity. Gonna make ourselves rich off the ransoms." The former ranger informed. "You could probably get us a large sum of money too, but Zurg has other plans for you."

"Like what?" Buzz wondered, still irate beyond belief.

"Oh, no one told you?" Darkmatter mocked to entertain himself. "He's gonna kill you by nightfall and rid himself of you after all this time."

The captain didn't show it, but fear quickly gripped him. Dead by nightfall? No wonder why Zurg had been keeping him alive. The emperor wanted to kill his arch enemy himself, especially when the later had no chance of defending himself. Buzz knew he wouldn't be able to either. His injuries were too extensive and painful and he was trapped on an isolated planet, far away from any Star Command base that could help him and the other prisoners escape. He couldn't help but bitterly realize that Zurg's wish to eliminate him would finally turn out victorious.

He found it ironic that his last mission as a captain, the first mission he had ever failed, would be the last thing he ever did in his life. Though, there were a few more things he could possibly do before his end came.

"Can I at least see my friends before I–?" His voice caught, but Buzz gave his former friend a steady, hopeful glance.

Darkmatter raised a brow, barely being able to resist laughing at the brokenness of the Star Command captain before him. He chuckled slightly.

"Maybe the cowboy, but I'm afraid the cowgirl's MIA." He responded casually.

"What do you mean?" The ranger asked.

"I mean that when I found your girlfriend lying on the floor of the bridge, she wasn't exactly looking too _lively_."

Buzz's hopeful expression faded into one mixed with dread and horror. His jaw dropped as he searched Darkmatter's black eyes, trying to find any emotion that showed he was lying. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't.

"That's not true…" The ranger choked, shaking his head slightly. "You're lying, like you usually do."

"You and I both know I love telling the truth, especially when the truth is as earth-shattering as this." Darkmatter corrected, kneeling down to Buzz's eye level. "I have no reason to lie to you. I diagnosed it myself. She's dead, Lightyear."

He tossed the red hat at the captain who caught it in a daze. He kept his soulless eyes steady and sure, showing Buzz he was confident in the information he knew. The villain smirked when he finally saw the disbelief on the ranger's face break, distress taking its place swiftly.

"I'll leave you to your mourning." Darkmatter remarked as he stood up and left the cell, taking only one glance back to marvel at the pain he just caused.

Buzz ignored his departure, staring numbly at the hat resting in his limp hands. A single tear slipped silently from one of his watery, azure eyes and down his sturdy features, eventually dripping onto the red brim. With his face slowly contorting with pain and grief, he wrapped his arms around the hat and pressed it against his chest.

He did not care about the throbs that erupted from his wounds at the action. They would never compare to the heartache that began to shred him apart from the inside.


	9. To Take Risks

This story is kicking my butt. After I'm done with this and "Sacrifice," I'm sticking with one-shots. *dies*

Toy Story 3 on Tuesday! Yay!

_Please Please Please _review, criticize, anything (except flames)!

* * *

**To Take Risks**

"Please! You havta help me!"

"I don't have to do anything!"

"I'll do it all! You jus' have to tell me how to stop all of this!"

"Stop what? I am his lordship's servant; I go along with whatever he wants."

"Even though you don't agree?"

The Brain Pod sighed, shutting the refilled cabinet somewhat forcefully. For five minutes, he had argued with his dismayed patient. Right after he announced Buzz Lightyear's death warrant, she had flipped out with terror, practically begging him for advice on how to prevent the Space Ranger's death. He honestly didn't know any better than she, but he also knew they were being watched. If he gave away any information Zurg deemed secretive, he would face certain death as well.

He had to give the cowgirl credit, though. She could tell his personal beliefs did not favor the evil emperor's, especially when it came to the inhumane acts of killings and tortures. He was a doctor, meant to heal and relieve someone of pain, not cause more. His whole species unanimously felt the same as he did, whether they were doctors or not. For years, the Brain Pods had tried to break away from Zurg's empire, but the emperor always managed to "convince" them otherwise.

"There's too much at risk." He confessed quietly, turning to her.

Jessie's pleading expression turned reproachful.

"You're not gonna even try to fight for what you believe in?" She cried.

The Brain Pod's eyes narrowed as well as they could.

"Not when it risks the lives of my people, the prisoners, and my patients, including yours!" He retorted just above a whisper. "Don't think I haven't tried to fight, either, but I've faced the consequences several times, too many times."

The cowgirl's tight features softened and she sighed heavily. She dropped her gaze to the floor and hunched her shoulders in defeat. An awkward, silent pause lasted for several more minutes before the Brain Pod heard a stifled sob.

"Th-then, what do I do?" Jessie whispered. "I can't let Buzz die; I wouldn't be able to stand it."

Her doctor raised a brow.

"What do you mean by that?"

Slowly, Jessie brought her head up and averted her emerald stare onto him. After a long moment of observing the shimmering emotions in her eyes, he suddenly made the connection.

"Oh, I see." He commented sadly. "But, surely, you must've known the risks involved, especially in Lightyear's case–"

"I don't care about the risks!" Jessie shouted in frustration. "I never did! I can't stop how I feel because of that, what would be the point? Life's not worth livin' if you never take any risks! And I'm not giving up on Buzz because of them, especially not now."

She hopped off the bed as best as she could, wincing slightly when her feet land on the ground. She straightened her posture to its full height and clenched her hands into fists.

"I'm willin' to do whatever it takes to save him." The cowgirl announced. "And I'm gonna try, whether you help me or not."

The Brain Pod stared at her incredulously for a moment, unsure about how to react. At first, he disapproved of her pride and her thoughtless conclusion, but her unwavering, determined expression modified his opinion. No one had ever stood up to the emperor before, at least, not a prisoner. Yet, the cowgirl before him looked like she was ready to take on his whole army herself. Foolish, but brave, he assumed. There was one thing the doctor was quite sure about, though.

He had never met such a strong, persistent woman quite like her before.

"There's one thing you can do." The doctor advised finally. "But you're going to have to be very careful about how you go about doing it."

Jessie's eyes lit up for a moment before seriousness darkened them once again.

"What is it?"

"Talk to Zurg."

* * *

Steam billowed out of the cracks in the floors, the walls, the ceiling. The metal hallway resembled and felt like a dark sauna, the heat from the vapor stifling and uncomfortable. Red lights illuminated the path, causing someone unused to the intense color of the lighting to feel quite disoriented and dizzy. The hallway's industrial appearance served its purpose in making any guest feel intimidated and unwelcome.

Jessie could not deny that fact as she was led down the hallway. Her wrists were bound in front of her by energy restraints with an energy chain attached, so a Hornet robot could pull her along like a dog on a leash. It was difficult to keep up with the robot's quick pace, earning her several impatient tugs to urge her to walk faster, but the cowgirl assumed this treatment was decent compared to some others.

She _had _requested to see Zurg, after all.

It had been an hour or two since she took the Brain Pod's advice. They both were taken by surprise when the emperor actually agreed to see her right away, sending a Hornet to bring her to his "throne room." The doctor felt quite uncomfortable about his lord's eagerness, but Jessie tried to make the opportunity seem positive.

Though, as she drew closer to the doors to the throne room, she began to feel unsure.

'_But I can't afford that, now.'_

The Hornet easily opened the metal doors with one hand, waiting a moment before dragging the cowgirl inside his master's throne room. It looked no different to the hallways that led to it, steam rising out of every crack, red lights lining the walls. Yet, there was one distinct difference.

A seat sat erected in the middle of the room, its backrest decorated with several protruding spikes aiming for the ceiling. Two small pyres of fire danced on either side of the throne and a murky, green chemical sat in a long basin behind it, giving off an eerie glow.

None of this truly caught Jessie's attention, though. She only focused on the figure sitting on the throne.

Emperor Zurg loomed over the cowgirl, even though he remained sitting. His sleek, dark purple armor enlarged his form. His silver breastplate emphasized the build he supposedly had underneath his heavy attire, maximizing the amount of strength he emitted. His elongated, purple, titanium mail skirt covered his armored, muscle-toned legs, one of which bobbed impatiently as his metal gloves tapped the throne's armrest in a similar fashion.

Jessie could not see any part of the face behind his sharp-horned, scowling helmet, but nevertheless glanced nervously at the blood red, narrow eyes glaring indifferently upon her. As the Hornet pulled her forward to stand directly in front of the villain, however, she found herself unable to stare any longer at that soulless gaze.

She waited an agonizing moment for him to speak, listening to the redundant taps of his gloves. When he did finally address her in his deep and resounding voice, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Kneel."

The cowgirl glanced up, her expression bewildered. Zurg merely gave her an unsympathetic look, waiting for her to comply. Any other time, Jessie would have retorted and refused to listen to such a degrading command, but she had to consider her options. The Brain Pod told her to be careful and she knew he was right. She would have to swallow her pride for now.

Slowly, the deputy descended onto her knees, feeling the cold, metal floor grind against them uncomfortably. She bowed her head slightly, indicating she obeyed his wishes.

"What is your name?"

Wincing, Jessie cleared her dry throat before forcing out her answer.

"Jessica Pride."

He continued to tap his fingers. The monotonous action nearly made the cowgirl go mad.

"And what did you want to ask me?" Zurg asked eventually, almost sounding bored.

Jessie thought for a moment, trying to sort the words correctly in her head. It was the best time to make her thoughts count.

"I want to compromise Buzz Lightyear's death sentence."

When there was no response, the cowgirl wondered whether or not she had only thought of the phrase instead of saying it aloud. Just as she was about to repeat herself, a loud chuckle interrupted her. She looked up to see the villain shaking with laughter.

"That's why you came?" He inquired in between his rumbling, amused chuckles. "You want stop Lightyear's death? Miss Pride, you wish for something unattainable. I will not compromise that."

"But, s-sir, he's extremely valuable to Star Command, to the Galactic Alliance; you could manipulate them so much by keeping him alive!" Jessie refuted pleadingly, hoping to change his mind.

The emperor suddenly thrust himself upon his feet, causing the cowgirl to cower slightly.

"I am not going to compromise with an Earthling peasant!" He shouted, all traces of mirth gone from his daunting tone.

Cringing, Jessie closed her eyes and expected some sort of physical assault. However, Zurg grabbed the energy chain attached to her wrist restraints and swiftly pulled her toward him, her face stopping mere inches from his. His pointed, gloved fingers wrapped around her chin.

"I know you're motivation, _Jessie._" He hissed in a whisper. "I know all about your affections for Lightyear. I saw the video of you two getting intimate."

Swallowing hard, Jessie stared at her adversary in shock. She still did not truly understand what a video was, but that didn't matter in comparison to the fact that Zurg knew about the kiss she and Buzz shared. He _knew _about them.

She _knew_ he could take advantage of that.

He held her face for a little bit longer, observing her features carefully before roughly letting her go, turning toward his throne. The cowgirl fell back slightly, but she regained her posture albeit painfully due to her injury. She settled herself onto her knees again as her mind began to race, trying desperately to think of any last ideas.

Jessie knew she was running out of time to come up with something, anything. All of her initial plans to save Buzz had been thrown out the window. She knew that if she tried to convince Zurg any further on the matter, she would end up regretting it terribly.

In the end, she knew there was only one, last thing she could ask for.

"Can I at least see him before he dies?" She questioned quietly, still a bit shaken.

The emperor stopped short, his back facing the cowgirl. He remained silent, as if contemplating her request. Hope started to inflate in Jessie's heart as she awaited his response. She silently begged, pleaded for a favorable answer.

"She can't."

A new voice had interjected.

Startled, Jessie twisted around to face the source of the voice, panic and irritation erupting onto her features. She did not recognize the blue armored alien that had entered the throne room, but, just by looking at his smug face, she knew she would not fancy him at all.

"And why is that, Agent Z?" Zurg inquired, facing the newcomer as well.

Warp Darkmatter strode toward his master, holding on to his explanation. He passed around Jessie casually, giving her a mysterious grin as he eyed her, not looking away until he finally reached the awaiting emperor. He bowed slightly before standing up straight again.

"Because I just told Lightyear she was dead."

The cowgirl furrowed her brow and widened her eyes in angry shock. Zurg apparently felt similarly since he wasted no time in responding.

"You did what?" He reprimanded his second-in-command harshly. "Why did you think this was beneficial?"

"I just wanted to mess with him." Warp shrugged, clearly unaffected by his master's anger. "It's payback for all the times he's imprisoned me."

"You imbecile!" Zurg shouted again, shoving the blue alien aside. "That's only going to give him hope! He'll _want_ to die if he thinks she's dead! It's motivation! I don't want him to feel anything but pain and suffering before I kill him!"

Darkmatter regained his composure, but did not argue with the enraged emperor. An uncomfortable silence ensued and the onlooking cowgirl watched as a tight frown replaced the alien's everlasting grin as he stared crossly at the pyres lining the throne. Zurg took a moment to calm his anger before he whipped around to the Hornet still floating in the room, awaiting orders.

"Take the peasant to Lightyear." He demanded, pointing a finger at Jessie. "I want him to know she's alive."

Without another word, the Hornet took a hold of the energy chain and forced Jessie onto her feet, tugging her in the direction of the throne room doors. As she was being pulled out of the room, the cowgirl, out of curiosity, stole a glance behind her.

She found Darkmatter watching her with a dark gaze until the doors finally closed behind her.

* * *

I made Zurg a bit more darker and serious than the TV show's because I feel like, if he's the most feared emperor in the galaxy, than why the heck is he so darn funny? XD His comical version fits the show perfectly, but not so much for the mood I'm aiming for in this story. Don't worry though, he's not going to be _extremely _dark. ;)


	10. To Be Reunited

Getting this up quick cause half of it was written already. Don't know when I'll update again, though.

I was really uncertain about posting this. Because of how the story played out, I had to modify several things about "Reunited" to make it fit. I think its better that way so the original can still stand alone in a way, but I'm nervous about this version ruining the feel of the original. *sigh* I don't know. I guess you'll just have to let me know.

Please review!

**Warning: **Rated T.

* * *

**To Be Reunited**

Jessie soon found herself entering the "special prisoners" division of the prison, still being tugged along by the Hornet robot. The highest levels of security were integrated into that area, dozens of guards and cameras monitoring and scouting everything around them. Breaking out seemed utterly impossible and inexplicably dangerous.

Upon passing through the gates, the Hornet met up with and addressed a human guard, relaying the demands of their emperor. After a few minutes, the Hornet dismissed itself as the guard strode up to Jessie, his face hard and annoyed. He reached for his belt and grabbed a thick, white card that donned his name and picture on one side. He casually waved it over the wrist restraints trapping the cowgirl's arms, causing them to stop glowing and unlock. They fell to the ground with a thud.

"Let's get this over with." He muttered impatiently.

Grabbing her arm, the guard began to drag Jessie alongside him at a swift pace. The cowgirl had no choice but to follow him, stumbling a bit as she tried to keep up. They passed by several cells, some containing prisoners while others remained empty. After walking for a few minutes, the guard stopped abruptly.

Jessie peered around him and glanced into the cell they stood in front of. Within it, a figure lay slumped against the wall, his head lolled to the side and his eyes closed. The cowgirl's heart leapt into her throat at the sight.

She would finally be reunited with Buzz.

The guard waved the key card in front of a panel, causing the cell door to unlock and slide open. Without a word, he roughly shoved her into the cell. Her bare elbows scrapped against the polished metal flooring and she grunted from the painful shock of her impact. She should have known Zurg's goons considered fair treatment toward a wounded prisoner too respectable for their tastes. Cringing, Jessie began to unsteadily lift herself from the floor.

"You have ten minutes." The guard who escorted her barked.

"Give me at least two more to wake him." Jessie retorted, turning to him as best she could.

"Ten or nothing." He snapped with strict adamancy.

The cowgirl gave in, sighing heavily as she faced forward again. She hoisted herself onto her knees and looked up. The cell's transparent laser walls softly flushed a blue light on the ranger she requested to see. For a moment, she sat on her heels, observing the man across from her.

From what she could see, Buzz had several gashes and bruises covering his face and arms, giving him a haggard appearance. With his suit removed, Jessie could see his tousled, short-cut hair and his battered, motionless build. He slept in an uncomfortable sleep, his hands and lips twitching occasionally from some nightmare. Jessie had never seen him in such a vulnerable state and it began to worry her. The unrivaled prodigy and the fearless hero of Star Command looked utterly broken.

Jessie crawled over to Buzz and kneeled near his side. She placed a hand on the side of his face, rubbing her thumb gently on his cheek. He immediately responded to her touch and shifted in his sleep, murmuring something incoherent as he turned his face into her palm. Jessie smiled lightly and gingerly turned his face toward hers.

"Buzz." She whispered quietly, trying to wake him.

He remained asleep and unmoving, resting against her hold. She brought up her other hand to stroke his forehead, which felt unusually warm under her fingertips.

"Buzz." She addressed him with added conviction, hoping he would finally awake.

He shifted again except with livelier movements and motions, slowly emerging from his dreams. Jessie continued to hold his face as she watched him struggle awake until he finally jumped, instantly reentering reality. Buzz winced as he attempted to adjust his slumped position. As he straightened himself, he opened his azure eyes and found emerald ones staring at him.

The ranger gaped. For several moments, all he did was study Jessie's face, his eyes moving rapidly as he took in what he saw. The cowgirl sat uncertainly, her thin red eyebrows bending with sympathy. She knew why he looked at her like that and resolved to lean toward him slightly, her thumb rubbing his cheek again.

"Everything's okay, Buzz." She murmured, her eyes searching his."It's just me–"

Jessie did not have enough time to yelp when he launched his face to hers and claimed her lips in one rapid motion. She breathed in deeply, somewhat startled, but never broke the contact, instantly sensing Buzz's distress and anxiety through the impulsive passion he kissed her with. Yet, she suddenly found herself feeling relieved, her troubles, her stress, and her worry dissolving in the quick intensity of the kiss. Hungry for such relief, she fervently kissed him back and tenderly tightened her grip on his face, pulling him as close to her as possible.

Buzz tucked a hand underneath her jawbone, curling against the curve of her neck and adding his own tender pressure to her aching muscles. He deepened the kiss further and Jessie was forced to alter her kneeling position until she sat on the floor next to him. His other hand then snaked up her back until it reached the tangled locks of hair that fell about her shoulders. He weaved his fingers through the red mass until they became harmlessly entangled.

His lips continued to ceaselessly caress hers and she eagerly continued to comply with his advances. He eventually managed to pull her closer and she had to place her hands on his chest to support herself.

Buzz abruptly broke the kiss and hissed sharply from her touch. Jessie quickly pulled her hands back and folded them against her chest, watching nervously as the Space Ranger tried to ease his pain. He softly placed a hand to his breast and leaned against the cell wall heavily. With every suppressed groan and every heavy breath, the cowgirl winced, feeling more and more helpless as the seconds passed.

"Oh, Buzz…" She choked as she tilted her head downward.

"Jess…"

Jessie quickly looked up. He still struggled to alleviate himself from his physical agony, but he steadily stared at her, his azure irises boring into her troubled mind. Suddenly, a single tear escaped from those intoxicating eyes, cleaning off the dirt and blood that crossed its path as it spilled down his cheek. Jessie felt her own heart wringing raw emotions throughout her entire being, to a point where she could barely control them. The kiss had unlocked the heavy feelings they tried to hide for so long.

The cowgirl crawled once again to the ranger's side. That time, she delicately slipped her hands in his and squeezed them tightly. Slowly, his tense muscles began to relax. She continued to gaze at their hands, idly observing the callousness each had from the vigorous mission they failed before their imprisonment.

"I thought you were dead."

Jessie's eyes shot up to Buzz's face, watching him grimace uncomfortably. She pursed her lips together and tightened her hold on him further, feeling an unecessary sensation of guilt. He slipped a hand from hers, however, and reached beside him, pulling out something she did not notice before. She gasped lightly as he removed her red hat from the shadows and presented it to her shakily. For a long moment, she just stared at it, unsure about what to say. Eventually, she just laughed slightly and gently grabbed a hold of its brim.

"I thought I lost this for good." She murmured quietly. "But no, I survived the crash jus' fine. I was injured in the side from my ranger suit, but that was about it."

"Darkmatter said he found you," Buzz admitted, glancing tiredly at her face, "the old partner I once told you about. He said you didn't make it. He had your hat."

Jessie raised a sympathetic eyebrow before she grew increasingly disgusted.

"That varmint touched my hat?" She griped under her breath.

"I didn't want to believe him," Buzz continued, missing her remark. "But he looked so confident and triumphant that I…I just…"

The cowgirl's face softened and she quickly pecked him on the lips, cautiously leaning her head on his shoulder. He soon rested his head on hers and intertwined their fingers tightly again.

"I would never leave you, Buzz." Jessie murmured against his neck. "I don't think I ever could."

"Then why don't we test that theory?"

They both jumped and swiftly snapped their heads toward the cell door. Within its frame stood the last person either one of them wanted to see, the arrogant blue alien himself.

"Darkmatter…" Buzz growled at his former partner, pulling Jessie closer to him protectively.

The man did not acknowledge the Space Ranger. Instead, he kept an intent gaze settled upon Jessie, watching her recoil to his sudden presence.

"Time to go, doll face."

The cowgirl shrunk back further into Buzz's arms, glaring heatedly at their adversary.

"Another minute."

"Another minute?" Darkmatter cried incredulously. "We gave you five minutes extra! Don't take advantage of our generosity. Time's up."

He stepped forward but she withdrew again, wrapping her arms around Buzz's torso firmly.

"I won't see him again after this because of you." She cried. "The least you can do is give me another _minute_!"

Zurg's second-in-command gritted his teeth, scowling down upon the couple as he loomed over them threateningly. Scrunching his face in irritation, he turned on his heel and left the cell to wait impatiently for their endowed minute to finish.

Not wasting another second, Jessie quickly pressed her lips to Buzz's, letting the kiss linger for only a few seconds. She pulled away and rested her forehead against his as the Space Ranger enveloped her in a close embrace. Simultaneously, their breathing shook with sustained sobs.

"The only thing I'll ever regret is not telling you sooner." Buzz muttered, running his fingers through the cowgirl's red hair once again. "I've always loved you, Jessie."

Jessie breathed in heavily, closing her stinging eyes tightly.

"I love you too, _captain_." She looked to him when she heard him chuckle lightly at his correct title. "But don't you regret anything. Be proud and stay strong. Don't let anyone forget that you are and always will be the greatest Space Ranger in the universe. You are my brightest light in the darkness."

"My most radiant star in the galaxies." Buzz commented in return, not caring about how terribly cliché they both sounded.

The ranger sat back for a moment and brought forth her hat again, handing it out for her to take. Jessie idly observed its worn, red shade before returning her gaze onto Buzz.

"Keep it." She commanded gently, pushing it back to him.

The captain's eyebrows rose, but soon his azure irises shimmered with gratefulness. The cowgirl smiled slightly at his silent acceptance.

"Now, time's up."

Darkmatter swiftly reentered the cell, having calculated the time to the exact second. Without another word, he grabbed Jessie's arm and yanked her out of Buzz's arms. The Space Ranger willingly let go, knowing their time together needed to end for her safety's sake. Jessie continued to gaze miserably at him as she was forced onto her feet and pushed out of the cell, never wanting to look away.

The last she saw of him before she finally did turn away were his enlivened, azure eyes.


	11. To Take Charge

Bleh, the second part to this is...blech. Oh well. :/

Semester's getting very intense since finals are in a few weeks. I'll update when I can. And Blu-ray TS3 DVD is AWESOME! :D

**_WARNING_: Rated T for _intense _content. (please take careful notice of this)**

* * *

**To Take Charge**

"Let's go. Faster."

Jessie cringed as Darkmatter continued to pull her roughly down the corridors of the prison. She could barely keep track of where she was, having to practically run to keep up with the blue alien's pace. Normally, she would not have such a problem, but the cowgirl's energy drained with every step she took away from Buzz's cell. Knowing she had just seen him for the last time had caused her to falter.

Darkmatter yanked her forward again, eliciting a surprised cry to escape Jessie's lips. She glared at the back of his head, but he didn't see her gesture. Suddenly, her "escort" stopped and faced an empty cell he had come upon. The cowgirl assumed the cell was hers, not having been in it yet due to her injury.

As the cell was unlocked she glanced around, noticing many other wounded prisoners sitting incarcerated around her. None of them looked too lively or willing as they waited for some fate to befall them. Jessie could sympathize. She certainly didn't know what was about to happen to her either.

As soon as the cell's door slid open, Darkmatter half-flung her inside. Jessie braced herself against the opposite wall, grunting as she barely managed to prevent her head from colliding with it. Irritated, she twisted around to send an icy glare in the villain's direction. The ice in her eyes swiftly spread to her body, freezing her in place.

The blue alien remained standing in the frame of the door, like he had in Buzz's cell. Except, this time, he leered at her figure as she leaned against the wall. She breathed heavily to try to recompose herself, but found that task quite hard as Darkmatter continued to stare her down predatorily.

She eyed him suspiciously, watching for any signs of sudden movement. Neither one stirred for several moments, staring the other down. Just as she thought her racing heart would punch through her ribs, Jessie saw a miniscule movement, a twitch in his left leg.

She had no time to react.

With impeccable speeds, Darkmatter lunged at her. He swiftly pinned her against the wall of her cell. Jessie gasped in surprise and bewilderment, but immediately turned on her defenses and tried to twist herself away from him. The blue-skinned alien was quick, however, as he grabbed her upper arms and pressed them forcibly against the stiff laser wall. The cowgirl winced as her injured side stung after the aggressive push, causing most of her aching muscles to tighten inflexibly. She could not fight him, not in her current state.

Satisfied with the lack of a struggle, Darkmatter sneered and leaned in close to Jessie's face. His dark irises shifted steadily as he observed her nervous features, eyeing her as if he won a grand prize.

"As I'm sure you know, Lightyear will be killed in about an hour." He reminded pitilessly. "Your brother, the sheriff, is to be ransomed for quite a large sum of money. But what happens to you, I wonder?"

Jessie did not answer. She only shot a deadly glare at his smug smirk, finally understanding why she was healed in the first place. She inwardly shuttered.

Darkmatter suddenly went after her lips, but the cowgirl had been waiting readily for him to make some move against her. She quickly managed to turn her head to the side before he could assault her, causing his mouth to land on her jawbone.

He paused.

Jessie's heart beat rapidly within her ribcage as she tried to calm her heightening anxiety, still extremely uncomfortable about the villain's close proximity. Yet, he still held onto her arms firmly and did not lessen the amount of pressure he pushed against her. He did nothing for a moment, but she nearly jumped out of her skin when his hot breath blew in her ear as he spoke.

"You know, this isn't going to make things any easier for you." His deep voice whispered. "I suggest you get used to it real fast. And maybe…" One of his black, gloved hands snatched her chin and swung her head around to face his menacing, lustful stare. "…I won't have to use so much force. It would be such a waste."

The villain leaned in again, but before he could even graze her lips, Jessie bit his lower lip…hard. Darkmatter recoiled with a cry, releasing her as his hands flew to his mouth. He hunched against the opposite wall, tenderly touching the fresh cut on his lip that spilled green blood onto his gloves.

While she warily watched him, Jessie quickly shoved a hand into her back pocket, hoping he did not notice.

His surprise did not last long, however. When he finally realized what happened, the blue alien flew at the cowgirl and swiftly grabbed a hold of her shirt collar. Jessie winced and impulsively tried to wrench his hand off her, barely making out the hand he had raised in her struggle. Chills coursed through her as she closed her eyes, unwillingly preparing for the upcoming beating.

"_Agent Z!" _Zurg's voice bellowed from Darkmatter's arm communicator. "_Quit fooling around down there and get up here now! I will not wait on you any longer!"_

Darkmatter cursed quietly as he lowered the arm he readied to slap with to answer his master.

"Be there in a sec."

With that, he let go of Jessie's collar and watched impassively as she slumped onto her knees and coughed heavily. He silently exited the cell and let the door lock itself automatically. Before leaving, though, he glanced down to the recovering cowgirl one last time.

"Once he's gone, you're mine."

With that, he hastily strode away.

Jessie continued to kneel heavily on her knees as she watched his retreating figure. She hoped he would continue to walk and not find a reason to return. She held her breath as he finally disappeared entirely from her sight, leaving the prison area to attend to his master's needs. After another few minutes, the relieved cowgirl leaned back against her cell wall and began to breathe deeply.

"Miss?"

She looked up, gazing toward the sound of the voice that had called out to her. Across from her, a man with a bandaged head stood warily at the locked door of his own cell. He gave her a concerned glance, having seen the whole circumstance that occurred between her and Darkmatter. Yet, as she studied the man closer, she suddenly realized she recognized him.

It was the helmsman she had saved.

"Are you all right?" The man asked, his tone expressing sincere worry. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm all right." Jessie responded, gingerly rubbing her side to ease her wound's ache. "He didn't get that far, luckily. I'm jus' glad he's finally gone."

"He might come back later." The helmsman muttered quite helplessly.

"Oh, I don't care 'bout that." The cowgirl smirked.

The helmsman gave her a confused glance, unsure about what to make of this new, confident attitude of hers. He raised an eyebrow.

"Wh-what do you mean?" He asked. "Why?"

Jessie merely continued to grin as she reached into her back pocket. From within it, she pulled out a thick, white key card imprinted with Zurg's signature insignia and Darkmatter's face and name. She held it aloft and waved it in her hand victoriously.

"'Cause I'm bustin' outta here."

* * *

"Food's up."

Woody jumped slightly at the gruff voice, snapping out of his thoughts abruptly. He picked his head up from the stiff laser wall he leaned heavily against to glance at the portly guard who entered his cell. The sheriff watched uninterestedly as the guard tossed a rusted bowl of grungy food onto the floor beside him. The minion sniggered when he saw several pieces of the meal lying on the dirty metal flooring due to the force of his toss.

"Heh, enjoy licking the floor, dog."

As he stepped out of the cell and locked the door again, Woody snorted and chuckled humorlessly.

"You said that last time, idiot." He mumbled to himself. "And besides, floor's cleaner than any plate you lick clean."

The sheriff sighed heavily, realizing he was talking to himself again. He figured it wasn't a sign of insanity, considering he only had himself to talk to for the past two days. No one but the daily meal guard visited him, but not even his insults could fill Woody's need for company.

The situation felt quite odd to the cowboy. When he first woke up, it took a while for him to comprehend the fact that he was locked up in a jail cell. He was usually the one who put people behind bars, not vice versa, and that disoriented him a bit.

The prison he found himself in was bizarre. His close-spaced, blue laser cell was surrounded by hundreds of identical cells, guards patrolled the corridors in droves, the ceiling rested twenty feet above without air-ducts, and the floor was made of durable, thick metal. His flimsy, iron cages back on Earth were nothing compared to this.

He honestly did not know what to do besides sit in his cell and sulk. There was so much he didn't know about the world surrounding him. That fact alone kept him trapped; he couldn't come up with a sufficient plan to escape with, it would end in utter disaster.

He had never considered the true consequences of stepping out of Earth's boundaries before. The initial idea of leaving had left him uncomfortable, but Buzz's need for help and support in his mission had convinced him otherwise. Besides, Jessie had been so hell-bent on going–

Woody's eyebrows rose at the thought of his sister. What had happened to her? He didn't even want to begin to fathom the various fates that could have befallen her. He had managed to save Buzz from the cruiser's crash, that much he knew, but he did not have enough time to search for the cowgirl. He could not find out anything about her for the past two days and it left him bitter and frustrated.

He sighed heavily, discouraged by the fact that he could not protect his friend and his sister when they needed him.

"What do I do now?" He murmured, looking to the floor in dismay.

A chorus of yells interrupted his thoughts. Glancing up, the cowboy saw several flashes of green and yellow mingle with the steady blue glow of the cells. They were distant and an unusual _pling_ sound resounded with every flash, but Woody could not discern the occurrence. What was going on?

"What is that?" One of the nearby guards asked a companion of his, fingering his blaster uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure." Was the other's reply. "But I don't like it."

Within seconds, the sounds grew louder and the flashes brighter. Yells echoed off the high ceiling, spreading across the area in an angry roar. As the seconds passed, the volume grew exponentially, the flashes becoming more frequent and cluttered. Suddenly, a visible beam of green light struck a nearby cell and bounced off its walls before striking the ground, disintegrating on impact.

"What the heck?" Woody mumbled to himself.

The guards, thinking quite similarly, powered up their blasters and readied them to fire at whatever group of assailants headed their way. The sheriff continued to watch in awe as the greens and yellows continued to flash at a rapid pace, melding soothingly with the blue light surrounding him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a contrasting dash of red within the blues, yellows, and greens. The color caught all of his attention.

"Jessie…"

Within a moment, the red vixen herself rounded the corner of a cell. She immediately began firing at the assembled guards with the black pistol in her hand, each yellow laser bullet finding their targets accurately and easily.

From behind her, an entire pack of freed prisoners, all armed and fueled with vengeance, followed her lead, taking aim with their own salvaged weapons and disposing of guards left and right. Some others held white cards in their hands as they ran over to occupied prison cells and freed the captives within, encouraging them to join the prison riot their cowgirl savior had invoked.

Woody could only stare in disbelief at his sister. She stood tall among her followers, both with height and pride. She held the pistol with a practiced hand, ready to utilize its advanced abilities to her advantage. A determined glare hardened her delicate features, just as it usually did whenever she chased after outlaws. He knew almost immediately that she had a goal set in her mind and she was going to accomplish it, no matter the obstacle in her way.

"Jessie!"

The cowgirl glanced around at the sound of her name until she finally turned to the sheriff's direction. Her face quickly lit up with shock and relief.

"Woody!"

She rushed over, brandishing a white key card herself. After quickly waving it over the cell's panel and unlocking the door, she threw herself at her kneeling brother and embraced him tightly. Woody faltered a bit at her enthusiasm, but soon mimicked her antics by wrapping his arms around her firmly, resting his head on her shoulder. They held onto one another for a few moments.

"I'm so glad I found you." Jessie sighed, tightening her hold just a bit. "They kept telling me you were all right, but I had to make sure."

"Not much has happened to me." The cowboy commented as he pulled out of the embrace. "I'm just glad you're alive."

The cowgirl pursed her lips and gave him a playful glare.

"What's with you boys thinkin' I died?" She laughed amusedly. "First Buzz and now y–"

Her face suddenly paled as her jaw dropped slightly when an unseen thought crossed her mind. Woody furrowed his brow, bewildered at the quick change in behavior. He had no time to voice his concerns before she grabbed his hand and literally dragged him out of his cell, pulling him swiftly in the direction she had been heading previously.

"Jessie? What's going on?" Woody gasped, stumbling a bit as he tried to match her fast pace. "Where are we going?"

"We need to get to Buzz's cell!" She cried over her shoulder. "Zurg is planning on killing him. We need to get to him before he does!"

The sheriff's eyebrows rose as he processed that information, but a determined expression soon masked his surprise. He quickly found his balance and picked up his own pace, running swiftly behind the energized cowgirl. The crowd of prisoners had followed their lead, charging around the numerous jail cells toward a large gate marked "special prisoners."

Defending the gate was a thick barricade of guards. All armed and poised, they began firing upon the rioting captives. The prisoners began to break apart somewhat as they tried to avoid the laser bullets, ducking and hiding to protect themselves. Jessie kept pressing forward, ignoring the blasts aimed at her. She fired her own weapon, taking down several guards in just a few shots. Realizing the danger of the situation though, Woody quickly snatched his sister around the waist and pulled her behind an empty cell.

"Woody!" She retorted indignantly. "We need to get to Buzz!"

"We won't get to him if we get shot!" He shot back, breathing heavily. "C'mon, Jess, you know better than that! Take a few more out then charge them all at once."

Jessie glared for a moment before her expression softened. She called out to the prisoners seeking shelter around her, ordering them to take out the guards and then follow her lead accordingly. She shot her pistol heatedly, not wanting to waste any more of her precious time. Woody was passed a blaster and he joined in on the fray, hitting his targets just as swiftly and accurately as the cowgirl. Within five minutes, the guard's numbers had dwindled considerably and they began to panic due to the loss.

Jessie took the opportunity.

"Let's go!" She shouted to the prisoners, stepping out from behind her makeshift shield.

They followed. The crowd of a hundred surged forward in a wave of rage and vengeance, crying aloud in a unified voice that echoed throughout the prison. The remaining guards dropped their weapons in fear, retreating and fleeing in any direction they could. The cameras were destroyed, the droids and robots shot. The mob descended upon the gates and flooded through once Jessie opened the doors using Darkmatter's stolen key card.

The cowgirl flew down the corridor of cells. Her long, red hair billowed like a curtain behind her because of her speeds. No one could keep up with her and watched as she continued on alone, hell-bent on finding what she needed to find.

She began to recognize the area, the prisoners and the surroundings. She was close. Exerting whatever amount of energy and strength she had left, she ran faster, harder, than she ever had before.

There it was. His cell.

Crying out in relief, Jessie skid to a halt just in front of it, breathing in heavily to try and catch her breath. She smiled elatedly as she picked her head up to look inside.

"Buzz, I'm–"

Her smile melted instantly.

The cell was empty.

* * *

I love cliffhangers. ;)


	12. To Compromise

So, ok. I actually found time to write this. Yay!

_Thank you_ so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter! You guys are amazing and make this story so much more enjoyable!

I hope you enjoy!

**Warning: Rated T**

* * *

**To Compromise**

Jessie stared blankly into the empty cell. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't feel anything, her muscles numb and her bones rigid. All she could comprehend was the fact that she had come too late. How long ago had he been taken? Where did they take him? Was he already…

Gritting her teeth together, the cowgirl slammed an angry fist against the cell wall, crying aloud in frustration and despair. It wasn't fair. She was always one step behind, no matter how hard she tried to get ahead. A tremor of pain coursed through her side, upsetting her further. She barely felt the cool trickles of tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.

"Jessie!" Woody's call echoed about the large room. "Jess, what –"

Assuming he saw what she had seen inside the cell, Jessie kept her eyes shut tight as she leaned heavily against the cell wall. She wouldn't be able to stand the defeated look on her brother's face when he figured out their failure, her failure.

"Jess, is that your hat?"

She hadn't expected that reaction. Looking up, the cowgirl peered into the cell again. She didn't know how she missed it before, but there, in the middle of the cell, was her hat. It sat forgotten on the floor, waiting for somebody to wear it once again. Buzz must have unwillingly left it behind as he was being taken away.

Tears stung her eyes again. She wanted him to hold onto it because she wanted them to be connected in some invisible way, to let him know she was always with him. But the hat had been separated from him, the connection severed, possibly forever. Just like Zurg wanted.

"They took him five minutes ago."

Jessie whipped around, a mysterious voice rasping from behind her. Woody quickly mimicked her and both of their gazes fell upon the cell across from them. A tall, thin alien sat within, legs crossed and eyes closed as if he were meditating. His expression remained passive and expressionless as the two Earthlings approached him.

"What did you say?" Woody asked carefully.

"They took Lightyear five minutes ago, down that direction." He pointed a long, boney finger to their left, the way they had not come. "Though, I do not know why. The doctors' offices and guard lounges are that way. Interesting, indeed."

"The doctors?" Jessie repeated, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Jess, five minutes is not that long." The sheriff commented from beside her. "He could still be alive. We have to hurry."

"You know where to look?" The alien inquired for his own benefit.

"I do." The cowgirl responded, a new sensation of vigor and determination erupting within her.

Before anyone could question her, she waved Darkmatter's key card in front of the alien's cell and then turned to unlock Buzz's unoccupied cell. Stepping inside for a brief moment, she snatched her hat and placed it upon her head with expertise, smiling a bit at the familiar feel of it against her forehead.

"So, what's the plan?" Woody asked as she began to walk in their appointed direction.

"We're going to the doctor's."

* * *

They trotted down a metal hallway, lined with numerous doors. The feet of the hundred or so escapees stomped on the ground in a rumble, squeezing through the hallways two-by-two as they steadily followed the Earthlings leading them. Not one guard or adversary crossed their paths. In fact, the entire length of the hallway was unoccupied. The doors remained locked, the rooms empty. It was completely vacant.

Jessie looked around wildly as she ran, always glancing at the digital, glowing numbers marking every door. She kept turning her head back and forth, side to side, to take in every number carefully.

"A105, A106…" She whispered under her heaving breaths.

"Where are we going, Jess?" Woody asked, sounding a little uncertain about his sister's sense of direction.

"I was in one of these rooms, earlier, getting treatment." She commented, still observing the numbers. "When I left to go talk to Zurg, I noticed the number over the door I came out of."

"Wait a minute, you _talked_ to Zurg?" The sheriff cried incredulously.

"I remember the number…" Jessie ignored her brother's question, holding her focus. "I need to talk to that doctor…"

Before Woody could inquire further, she stopped short. Skidding on his boots, the sheriff barely managed to stop himself from plowing into the cowgirl. Recomposing himself, Woody looked to her and noticed she stood rigid in front of a particular door.

A113.

"This is it." Jessie mumbled, stepping forward.

She walked up to the panel on the wall. Once again, she used Darkmatter's key card to unlock the door. With a _whoosh_, it opened swiftly, revealing the room Jessie had awoken in after the _Sunnyside _crashed.

It wasn't exactly the same as she remembered.

The room was in shambles. The bed was overturned, leaning bent and ripped against the opposite wall. The contents of the cabinets lied strewn about everywhere, the medicines leaking out of their beakers and the pills and needles littering almost every inch of the floor. Scrapes and burnt marks marred the ceiling and the walls. An acrid, burning stench dominated the air along with the strong scents of the many open medicines. However, the one thing that caught their attention the most was the puddle of strange, yellow liquid that had settled in the middle of the chaos.

No one occupied the room.

Jessie glanced around the room slowly, unsure about what to make of the sight before her. An uneasy silence descended upon the group as she and Woody carefully entered through the doorway. Several others tried to join them, but the cowgirl advised them to stay outside and keep a look out.

As she observed the mess, Jessie could not help but feel a deep sorrow shadowing her thoughts. Had she caused this disaster? Did the Brain Pod doctor wind up facing the consequences he tried so hard to avoid? She barely knew him, but he still healed her and helped her to the best of his ability, despite his fears. Yet, the cowgirl could not help but feel that whatever suffering he was put through was her fault. His help had come with a cost.

Just as she turned around to head for the door again, Jessie looked to the dismantled bed. An eyebrow rose when she noticed a familiar-looking device lying on the floor beside it. Carefully, she worked her way toward the object of interest, avoiding the dangers of the needles and the unnerving puddle of liquid. Once she reached it, she settled into a squat to take a closer look at the device.

Her emerald eyes widened.

"What is it, Jess?" Woody asked, noticing his sister's peculiar behavior.

There was a pause as she picked up the object and examined it in her hand for a moment, smiling slightly. She shifted her gaze onto her brother's brown eyes and held aloft the device for him to see.

"It's the communicator Buzz gave me…" Her smile turned into a wide grin as she gazed at the sleek gadget.

"That's excellent!" Woody cheered softly. "We can–"

"Wait."

Closing his mouth quickly, the sheriff realized Jessie had looked to the floor again. She bent over and picked something else up. She stood with a small piece of paper clasped in her fingers, staring intently at it for a long moment. Her eyebrows furrowed as she pursed her lips.

"It says 'weaponry.'" The cowgirl stated with confusion.

"Where did you find it?" The sheriff questioned in wonder.

"Right next to…the communicator…" Realization suddenly exploded onto her face and she quickly began to quiver with excitement, looking to Woody eagerly. "That's where he is! That's where they took Buzz! The weaponry! Let's go!"

Before the sheriff could even process what she had said, Jessie snatched his arm and yanked him out of the room. She faced the crowd of prisoners awaiting outside and hurriedly began to address them.

"Does anyone know where the weaponry is?" She called out.

"I have one of the guard's maps." A Space Ranger responded, holding up a thin, holographic map.

"Good, you're leading the way." Jessie informed him, bringing him to the front.

"Jess, how do we know this is right?" Woody retorted, finally understanding his sister's motives.

"The note was lying next to the communicator." The cowgirl explained hastily. "The doctor had confiscated everything off me before he began operating on my injury, my guns, my lasso, and my communicator. Think about it, Woody, a single piece of paper lying right next to the communicator _he had_ with a specific place in this prison written on it."

The reasoning seemed credible enough, but the cowboy still did not feel too sure. Jessie gave an exasperated, heavy sigh at his lack of cooperation.

"Woody, I can't explain it any better," She defended, "but, I _feel_ like this is the answer, the place we need to find_._ I don't know if it's right or not, but I'm not ignoring it. If it turns out to be right and I didn't try to go for it...I would never be able to forgive myself."

Her emerald eyes shimmered in the dim lighting, glowing bright with hope and resolve. She was sure, adamant about her choice, hoping he would concur with her decision. Woody sighed, still nervous about the dangers Jessie was so willing to thrust herself into, but he could not help but smile; she had nothing to worry about.

"Lead the way, Miss Pride."

Beaming, the cowgirl gave him a wide grin before turning on her heel, looking to the crowd again.

"Where's the helmsman?"

In mere seconds, the bandaged head of the helmsman appeared as he shuffled through the immense mob. Confused but flattered, the man strode up to the cowgirl and awaited orders. She presented the communicator to him, casting a serious expression across her face.

"Call Star Command."

* * *

Time crawled. He did not know how much time had passed since he was brought to the weaponry, but Buzz realized he could care less. He only cared about the precious minutes he had left.

The Space Ranger sat in a simple, metal-crafted chair. Both of his ankles were bound on each of its front legs and his wrists were tied behind its backrest. The guards had tied him in a way so his chest was fully exposed and so he could not move, even if he wanted to try to. They seemed like experts on performing a flawless execution.

He shuddered at the reminder. So far, he had been left to face the sullen silence of the room alone. It gave him time to think, to reminisce. He took the liberty to recall several important moments of his life and even a few insignificant moments that just made him appreciate the life he led. Certain memories and visions comforted and saddened him, enlivened and weakened him. Looking back, he felt proud of himself and what he accomplished in his short lifetime. He felt no regrets.

"…_don't you regret anything…"_

Jessie's soft voice echoed in his head, filling all of his senses. His lips began to tingle, his cheek and his hands as well; everywhere she had touched him in their last meeting shivered gently. No, that wasn't true. There was one thing he utterly regretted, more so than any of the mistakes he ever made.

He would not be able to be there for her when she wanted him, when she _needed _him. He would not be able to protect her, hold her, comfort her. She would be left alone, forced to bear the pain by herself…like he had mere hours ago. He never wanted her to experience that.

But he couldn't stop his execution from happening. It was too late.

'_Some hero I am,' _Buzz thought bitterly, _'I can't even save myself.'_

He bowed his head as far as he could, pain shooting up his back as he did so. He ignored it though, focused too much on his thoughts.

'_I'm sorry, Jessie. I can't…I can't be there…'_

"Had enough time to mull over your last thoughts?"

The familiar, deep, resounding voice barely startled the ranger. Zurg's voice rarely bothered him anymore, having heard it so much on mission after mission. Instead, the captain opened his eyes and breathed in deeply, forcing an indifferent expression onto his face as he glared at his arch enemy.

The evil emperor himself smiled menacingly, striding into the weaponry with an arrogant pride. Behind him, dozens of guards and Hornets spilled into the room, lining the walls and preparing their guns to protect the area. The last one to enter was Darkmatter.

The blue alien seemed quite peeved, but placid as he walked toward his master's side. From where he sat, Buzz could see he had a deep cut on his lip. The apprentice detected his gaze and soon figured out as to where the he was looking, sending a fierce glare in the ranger's direction. Buzz merely raised a brow at the reaction. Darkmatter soon looked away as he sheathed the pistol he held in his hand, wiping his stained gloves together, cleaning them crudely.

"It is done, my lord." He addressed Zurg in a deep voice.

"Excellent."

Buzz did not know what they were referring to, but he preferred not to find out. It was the least of his worries at the moment.

After fixing himself up a bit, Zurg finally faced the captured Space Ranger fully, his robotic, yellow mouth sneering broadly. He chuckled slightly as he lifted his hands up, marveling the sight before him.

"Well, Lightyear, it seems our story has finally reached its conclusion." The villain gloated proudly. "After years of ceaseless battles and endless encounters, we finally find out who is victorious in the end."

Buzz glared slightly, not willing to give the emperor anything else to mock him with. If he was going to die at the hands of his worst enemy, he would do so with dignity.

"And so, without any further ado, I will take the great pleasure and opportunity in killing you, Buzz Lightyear." Zurg announced amusedly.

The villain snapped his fingers and several Brain Pod and Grub servants ran up to a particular safe embedded into the wall behind him. After they opened the lock, they began to remove a large, black piece of machinery. It took every single one of them to remove it from the safe, but once they did, they carried it out into the light for everyone in the room to see.

An enormous ion blaster was erected in their hands. It had four barrels at its very end, each one able to rotate easily on the large disk they were melded onto. A large bandolier wrapped around the blaster underneath the disk, leading to the arm socket all of Zurg's blasters were known to have. With some difficulty, the servants managed to haul it over to their master and present it to him.

Casually, the emperor slipped his armor-clad arm into the arm socket, taking a hold of the trigger mechanism inside. The blaster's air cooling tubes were connected to a device on his back as the gun itself was finally activated. It hummed threateningly as it warmed up after its long slumber in the safe. A yellow light blazed inside each of the four barrels, brightening as the seconds passed.

Zurg lifted the ion blaster and aimed it directly at Buzz's trapped form. Even from where he sat a few feet away, the ranger could feel the heat radiating within the gun's barrels.

"Take a good look, Lightyear." Zurg commented smugly. "This will be the last sight you will ever see. I hope you've enjoyed the petty life you've lived, but I'm afraid it ends now."

"And don't worry about what you're leaving behind." Darkmatter stepped into view, making sure his face could be seen easily. "I'll make sure everything's taken care of…especially your girl."

The indifference melted off Buzz's face as a fearful realization quickly replaced it. The blue alien continued to smirk haughtily, letting an expression of lust pass over his face briefly. The Space Ranger's jaw dropped slightly, but the shock didn't last. Quickly, anger coursed through him.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her!" He roared.

"All ready did." Darkmatter informed amusedly. "And I'll do it again. You won't be able to do a thing about it."

Buzz swore he saw red, but soon enough all he saw was yellow. The ion blaster was mere inches from his face, powering up, preparing to fire. The captain only stared for a moment, all his ire fading in light of his final seconds.

"Goodbye, Lightyear." Zurg sang.

Buzz closed his eyes.

A shot fired.

The heat disappeared suddenly and a cry rang out in the air. He felt no different, no laser burning his skin, quickly eating him away from within. He opened his eyes.

Zurg had been brought to his knees. His ion blaster smoked from within its gears, the yellow light no longer blaring inside the barrels. Every guard in the room aimed their guns toward the doors, shocked and surprised at whatever they saw.

Turning his head, Buzz looked to his savior. He could not help the smile that erupted on his lips.

There stood Jessie, her red hat settled like usual on her head, her posture straight and tall, and her pistol smoking and ready to fire again. Woody and the rest of the escaped prisoners filled in the space behind her, ready to defend or attack.

They watched silently as Zurg picked himself up to stare incredulously at the mob opposing him. Jessie could only grin.

"I'm here to compromise the death sentence of Buzz Lightyear…and this time, I don't suggest you turn me down."

* * *

*goes collapses on the non-existent couch in her room* Only a few more to go!


	13. To Taste Freedom

Took a bit longer for me to write, but I wanted to get it right. (it is the most important chapter after all) ;)

So, Happy Belated Thanksgiving to everyone that celebrated it. Hope everyone had a good holiday!

Thank you again for the awesome reviews! Enjoy!

**WARNING: RATED T **(I am NOT kidding)

* * *

**To Taste Freedom**

Zurg merely stared, an incredulous expression glued onto his metal face. Jessie's grin remained plastered on hers as she watched the villain fully comprehend the situation he was in. The guards and Hornets had since lowered their weapons, anxious about the pistol the cowgirl had aimed at their emperor's head. At that moment, Zurg was outmatched. Jessie knew that fact well, especially after she heard the click of a gun hammer cocking beside her, blindly knowing Woody directed his own blaster at the same target.

"So? You gonna let him go or what?" Jessie asked, tilting her head to the side. "I ain't gonna wait all day."

"How did you get out?" The purple-clad villain seethed quietly, balling his gloved hands into fists.

"You can thank _Agent Z_ for that one." The cowgirl responded as she looked to the blue alien fuming silently beside the emperor. "If he hadn't tried getting all cozy with me, I would have never gotten his card key." With her free hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the aforementioned tool. "So, thank you."

Zurg turned to his apprentice and gave him a well-deserved death glare. Darkmatter ignored him, sending his own enraged glare to Jessie and her posse. Unfazed, the deputy straightened her gun arm more precisely, showing she was not backing down on her demand.

"Well?" She questioned impatiently.

The captor and the captives stared one another down for several moments, not a sound passing between them. Silence settled uncomfortably as every being waited for some sort of movement to occur, to act. Buzz sat quietly, watching the scene unfold before him. Zurg did not order his release and Jessie did not ask again. They waited for someone to give in to the stillness, to the calm before the storm.

They could feel a fight brewing.

A laugh nearly caused them all to attack instinctively. Bewildered and surprised, everyone looked for the contented source, wondering what was funny about the situation. They were shocked to see Darkmatter's shoulders shaking with chuckles as the alien bent over with laughter. After a few more puzzling moments, the apprentice straightened and glanced at the cowgirl before him.

"You-you think you have this whole thing under control, don't you?" He continued to humor himself. "Think everything is set in the palm of your hand, already won and over with. Well guess what?" His smile immediately transformed into a sneer. "You don't know what you've just gotten yourselves into."

Jessie furrowed her brow, her mind utterly blown with confusion. The hand holding her pistol faltered slightly.

"Let me begin by saying this." Darkmatter continued amusedly, pacing the small area around him as he ignored the prisoners' gun barrels following his movements. "I figured out my key card was missing a few minutes after I left the prison room."

The cowgirl's eyes widened as much as they possibly could, her doe-eyed expression riddled with shock.

"But, I figured you had already escaped." The blue alien went on casually. "I did not have the time or the patience, however, to go chasing after you. I had other matters to take care of, like that doctor, for instance..."

"That was you?" Jessie cried, now immersed in the story. "The destroyed room, the liquid…y-you–"

"He shared forbidden information," Darkmatter explained indifferently, "a crime punishable by death when you serve under Zurg. He made his choice and had to face the consequences."

Jessie could not even formulate a retort as the horrifying information processed in her mind. Her gun arm lowered slightly from her sorrow.

"But, let me guess." The villain's story was not over. "He left one final, noble clue to help you save Lightyear, am I correct? A little note that said 'weaponry?'"

The cowgirl's mouth opened, feeling as if the crumpled note were burning a hole in the pocket she placed it in earlier.

"H-how…?"

"…do I know?" Darkmatter finished for her. "I know because _I'm_ the one who wrote the note."

Her gun arm dropped to her side, then. She stared at him incredulously, silenced. The apprentice laughed shortly at the lack of a response.

"See, after I found out my key card was gone, I figured you were desperate enough to try to find Lightyear. So, I decided to help you find him."

No one knew what to say. Jessie continued to stare with a bewildered expression, not able to find her voice amid her shock. It took her a moment to finally figure out how to speak again.

"But, I still don't understand…" She confessed quietly. "Why did you help us?"

A widening, psychotic grin grew on Darkmatter's face as he quirked an eyebrow, his sharp teeth showing when he chuckled deeply.

"So _I_ could show _you_ this."

He whipped his pistol out of its holster and swiftly aimed it at Buzz's chest.

"_NO!"_

Jessie's desperate cry was silenced by a gunshot. She gasped, dropping her own pistol as her hands flew to cover her mouth in a panic. Time froze as her gaze settled on Buzz's recoiling form, waiting helplessly for the killing shot to make contact with him.

She didn't have to wait long for something to happen.

Darkmatter suddenly roared in pain, the gun in his hand flying into the air before he had a chance to fully pull its trigger. Her emerald eyes widening, Jessie's terrified chills thawed quickly. It took her a moment to realize the gunshot had come from her right. Twisting around, she saw Woody's blaster smoking, his face determined and enraged.

He had fired before Darkmatter could, but Jessie had no time to praise his save, however.

The entire room erupted into a chaos of incessant, loud gunshots as flashing yellow, green, and red laser bullets began soaring dangerously through the air. Zurg's guards fired upon the crowd of prisoners and the prisoners responded accordingly, enraged by the stunt Darkmatter tried to pull. The mismatched group of Space Rangers and _Sunnyside_ passengers and crew charged into the large weaponry, some continuing to fire their weapons as others settled for hand-to-hand combat.

Jessie surged forward. She searched through the commotion wildly as she let her feet run on their own, trying to find Buzz's trapped form. Shoving past both friend and foe, the cowgirl made her way toward the center of the room until she found an unoccupied area within the massive fight. That was where she found him.

"Buzz!"

Struggling against the bonds tying him to the chair, the ranger averted his attention to her at her call and smiled widely upon seeing her. Jessie did not wait for him to respond. She rushed to him, readying Darkmatter's key card once again. Without a word or a wasted moment, she unlocked Buzz's bonds quickly, freeing him for the first time since their capture.

As soon as he stood, Jessie practically tackled him down again with a strong embrace. She shuttered and Buzz wrapped his arms around her tightly, relieved and ecstatic to have her in his arms again.

"Jessie." He murmured in her ear. "Y-you're actually here…I can't believe–"

Her hold on his neck suddenly loosened, her arms sliding nonchalantly down to his chest.

"Jess?"

That's when he realized he was the only thing keeping her upright. Her legs had buckled from underneath her and her body no longer acted on its own accord. Gravity began to pull her undistributed weight down through his arms as her now limp body leaned heavily against him. He was forced to kneel as she unconsciously wished to collapse onto the floor.

"Jessie?" He cried, confused about what had caused her to faint. "Jessie!"

Pulling back, he went to examine her pale face for answers, but wound up spotting something much more significant. His eyes widened.

Blood was seeping through her white shirt.

She had been shot.

'_Oh my God.'_

Buzz froze as he stared at Jessie's wound. She had been hit beside her stomach and underneath her ribs, almost in the exact same spot as her previous injury. Her body quivered involuntarily in his arms, beginning to shiver at the loss of blood. Her face whitened even further, growing colder as the seconds passed.

The stunned captain snapped out of his reverie. He only had minutes to act.

After carefully lowering Jessie onto the ground, Buzz quickly removed the belt he wore on his jumpsuit and ripped off one of his already torn sleeves. He pressed the thickly-knit jumpsuit sleeve over the cowgirl's wound before wrapping the belt around her thin form, tightening it over the make-shift gauze to hold it in place. He could only hope the pressure would slow the blood flow.

He did not know what to do after that. The battle around him raged on, oblivious to his plight. Zurg's guards and the _Sunnyside _prisoners fought each other at a stagnant pace, neither one winning nor backing down. Buzz could not turn to any of them; Woody was nowhere to be found, the prison doctors followed Zurg's orders, and everyone else was preoccupied with defending themselves.

Staring at her relaxed features was his only option. She lied so still, her chest barely heaving as her eyes remained closed. The last word that had passed through her pale lips was his name, calling him in relief, when they were so close to being reunited again…

Buzz couldn't help but realize that everything wanted to keep them apart.

A deafening crash suddenly shook the room violently. For a moment, Buzz remembered the bombing of the _Sunnyside_, but curiosity got the better of him. Just like everyone else, he turned to the weaponry's entrance, never expecting to feel a wave of liberation wash over him.

Dozens of Space Rangers, all battle ready and fully armed, poured into the weaponry. They fired upon entry, aiming at any enemy they saw, not caring if they were robot or creature. The prisoners cheered at their arrival, enlivened and exuberated at the favorable turnover. They began to fight much more vigorously.

Star Command had come to their rescue.

Hope shattered Buzz's doubts. He suddenly had medical options he did not have five seconds ago. The clock was still ticking, but he had time.

Hastily, but carefully, the captain slipped his arms underneath Jessie's shoulders and knees, hoisting her body up so he could cradle her against his chest. He regretted the action almost immediately. Pain ripped through his muscles, his nerves, his bones, as he forced himself to support the cowgirl's weight in his arms. Even after he managed to stand upright, he wavered on his feet dangerously, a wave of weakness crashing down upon him.

His injured body screamed in agony.

Grunting as he grinded his teeth together, Buzz practically threw himself forward to get his stiff legs to move. His marred muscles protested vehemently, but he ignored the pain the best he possibly could. The crowd around him had since thinned out due to the Space Ranger's slaughter of Zurg's guards, thus making it easier for him to maneuver to the weaponry's doorway.

He passed by rangers he knew, left and right, but he refused to focus on them or any of their calls as he made his way into the metal hallways beyond. A weak current of rangers continued to make their way through the maze of the prison, entering from a ship outside. He staggered along in the opposite direction, needing to find his way out.

As he continued to stumble forward, Buzz could feel a liquid dampening his skin. He risked a glance at his arms, noticing the dried blood on the white fabric of his jumpsuit suddenly growing redder and larger. His wounds were reopening.

He felt like he was splitting open, like he had too much stuffing stuffed into him and his seams were unable to keep the pressure within at bay any longer. Jessie's body shook visibly as his arms began to seize from the strain imposed upon them. They wouldn't be able to hold her up for much longer.

Buzz forced himself forward once again, knowing he was losing a battle he was not meant to win. He felt himself shutting down slowly with every agonizing step he took. His time was running out, but he needed to get Jessie to the ship. If he didn't…

His mind focused, blocking out everything but the steps he struggled to make. The ship loomed above him as he finally broke free of the prison's stifling darkness, feeling the cool air of the outdoors gracing his burning skin with relief. A renewed vigor enticed him at the sweet taste of freedom. He felt alive again.

It receded almost immediately.

Numbness conquered him. His muscles loosened, his knees gave, his head floated, his sensed failed. Buzz felt himself fall forward onto his knees, top heavy and unable to hold himself upright any longer. Jessie rolled out of his deadened grip, falling onto the hard ground unceremoniously and landing in a heap. The ranger wavered on his knees for merely a moment before losing all sense of balance, falling to the ground on his side roughly.

Head pulsing, world spinning, Buzz opened his heavy eyelids and glanced across from him. Jessie's white, calm face faced him. Her delicate hand lied only several inches from his.

Using his last bit of strength, Buzz reached out and grabbed her cold hand.

Then everything faded to black.

* * *

;)


	14. To Say Goodbye

OMG. This took forever! I'm soooo sorry! In my defense, I had three weeks of studying and final exams to worry about. But I'm done with those and am raring to get back to business!

So, I had the worst writer's block ever for this chapter. I hope it turned out all right!

Thank you once again to everyone who has reviewed, faved, or alerted this story! I appreciate it so much! And Happy Holidays to everyone!

**Rated: T**

Enjoy!

* * *

**To Say Goodbye**

"_Get her and go, I've got him."_

"_Get the hell out of my way! Move!"_

"_Booster! Come here and help me!"_

"_How long has he been like that?"_

"_Questions later. We gotta move, now."_

"_Will they be all right?"_

"…_I don't know…"_

_

* * *

_

Buzz heard footsteps beat across metal floorboards. Several beings rushed by him, speaking words he could not comprehend. His mind was too busy trying to bring power to his body once again. His nerves were having a difficult time responding, though, as his own weight felt like it had doubled since the last time he was awake. If only he could open his eyes. He wanted to know where he was.

"Where is Doctor Unk? I need a nurse over here!"

His hearing had heightened all of a sudden. Straining his ears, he heard a group of people rummaging around not too far from him as the woman who yelled began delivering frantic orders. In the midst of the commotion, however, Buzz's hearing abruptly picked up a faint but clear beeping noise. It beeped in a familiar pattern, almost like…the pattern of a heartbeat. An electrocardiogram heart monitor.

"What happened?"

"Her heart is failing. The blood transfer is not compensating fast enough for her blood loss."

"Anderson! Get the heavy gauzes and those syringes now!"

The ranger hadn't realized it before, but the frequencies of the beeps were quite fast for normal heartbeats. But wait…_her_ heart? Who were they talking about? Heck, why was he even in a hospital ward? He couldn't remember anything before collapsing outside some prison–

That's when it all came back to him. The _Sunnyside_ mission, Woody and Jessie arriving to help, the crash, their imprisonment under Zurg, his near execution, Jessie getting shot…

Oh no.

Buzz exerted whatever will power he had toward opening his eyes. He needed to see for himself, to prove to himself that he was wrong. No, Jessie couldn't be the one they were referring to. It couldn't be possible.

The rapid beeps increased in volume.

"Her blood pressure is dropping fast! She's entering Class IV Hemorrhage!"

"Get me those gauzes now!"

Their screams caused his own heart to hammer. No, no, no, no, no. It wasn't her, it couldn't be. He had to see. He had to know for sure. If it was…

'_You already know that answer.' _Darkmatter's voice mocked in his thoughts. '_It's all your fault, anyway. You didn't save her.'_

The beeps now blared at every second.

'_It's all your fault. You failed her. You failed everyone.'_

"We need aggressive resuscitation immediately!"

"Give me that!"

"Where is she? Where is she?"

Woody. Woody's voice suddenly cried among the others. The shock finally forced Buzz's eyes to open. Through his blurry vision, the ranger caught sight of the cowboy being held back by another Space Ranger. The sheriff cursed and thrashed about, trying to escape so he could reach the crowd of doctors before him.

But Buzz couldn't hear his yells anymore. In fact, he couldn't hear anything but the pounding of his own heart and the racing, screeching beeps of the heart monitor.

He looked to the frantic chaos across the room. He couldn't see the patient past the bodies of the doctors. He watched numbly as they continued to panic, listening to the beeps as they became louder, faster.

Louder. Faster. Louder. Faster. Louder. Faster.

Until…

One long, never-ending beep sliced the air.

Buzz could only lie rigid as he watched a despaired Woody fall to his knees. The doctors ended their fight, moving away with blood-stained hands. He was finally given a clear view.

There she lied. Jessie.

Her long, red hair spilling off the edge of the bed.

'_See?'_

Her emerald eyes remaining forever closed.

'_It's all your fault.'_

Her face looking just as white and peaceful as the last time he saw her.

'_Your fault.'_

No tears came. He didn't deserve them.

'_Your fault, Buzz…'_

'_Buzz…'_

'_Buzz…'_

"Buzz."

"Buzz!"

"Buzz! Wake up!"

His eyes flew open. Crying out, the ranger shot up into a sitting position on his hospital bed. Pain suddenly ripped through his torso and Buzz cringed at the unexpected feeling. His ears ringed and his body shivered slightly. Dizziness overtook him as he shut his watering eyes tightly from the pain and the sudden brightness of the world around him. He breathed heavily and deeply, trying to ease the throbs in his chest as carefully as possible. Eventually, the pain started to ebb and his body calmed down, recovering from his sudden awakening. Sighing, the ranger brought a hand to his forehead and massaged it gently.

What the heck happened?

"Easy, Space Ranger. You're gonna hurt yourself again if you keep doin' that."

A cool hand placed itself on his bare shoulder. Still uptight, Buzz nearly jumped ten feet into the air at the touch, but when he turned to face the owner of the voice, he relaxed.

"Woody." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that."

His friend chuckled gently at the remark.

"Well, you sure gave me quite a scare just now, refusing to wake up and whatnot." The sheriff countered good-naturedly as he stood beside the bed. "Not to mention what happened the other day as well."

Buzz raised a brow as he settled back onto his hands.

"What other da–" His azure eyes widened abruptly. "Where is she?"

"What?"

"Where is she, Woody?" The captain asked frantically, grabbing the cowboy by his shoulders. "Is she all right? Please tell me she's all right. Please tell me that was all a dream!"

"Buzz! Buzz, easy!" Woody grabbed the ranger's shoulders in turn, concerned about his friend's deliriousness. "Jessie's okay! She's fine! She's resting in the next room."

The sheriff watched nervously as the wild fear in Buzz's eyes slowly began to fade. After a moment, the captain sighed with relief and hung his head, his quick breathing slowly calming down. Woody sighed. He suddenly understood the reason why Buzz wouldn't wake just a few moments ago. The nurse did say the heavy pain killers they gave him could induce severe nightmares. She wasn't kidding.

Suddenly exhausted, the ranger gradually lied himself back down onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling numbly, losing himself in his thoughts. He felt relieved, that was for sure, but what Woody told him still seemed impossible. The images he saw, the sounds he heard felt so real…too real.

"What happened?" Buzz asked finally.

Woody didn't need any further explanation. Sighing again, he grabbed a nearby chair and sat on it backward, resting his arms on its backrest. This could take a while.

"Well, first off, you collapsed outside Zurg's prison."

"I got that much."

"Do you want to know or what?" Woody snipped at the interruption.

"Sorry." Buzz winced.

The sheriff softened his expression, sighing before continuing.

"When I saw you leaving the weaponry with Jessie in your arms, I knew something was wrong. Apparently, so did your partner, uh, Mira. We followed you outside so we could help, but we saw you faint. It was only after we reached you did we figure out what happened to Jess. As soon as I saw, I picked her up and raced her to the ship nearby, knowing I didn't have much time. Luckily, I got her to the medical area in time for your Star Command doctors to save her."

Buzz felt another sense of relief wash over him. His dream was not real.

"Mira and another one of your teammates came in with you not too long after." Woody commented. "I hadn't really noticed it before, but you were pretty beat up too, ranger. You lost quite a lot of blood yourself. I mean, the doctors fixed you up without much difficulty, but they were a bit anxious, never seeing you so injured before."

The ranger furrowed his brow. Yes, in the past, he always managed to avoid getting too hurt. Sometimes it was based on skill, but most of the time he got lucky. Other rangers saw him as indestructible, invincible and, for a while, Buzz believed that himself. Although he didn't really boast about that fact, he always assumed he could do anything and everything without consequence.

But now, he knew his invincibility was a false pretense. Oh, how he had denied the truth for so long. He couldn't stop the bombing of the _Sunnyside,_ he couldn't save himself from Zurg's clutches, he couldn't help Jessie when she needed him most…

The images and sounds from his nightmare returned to him and he shuddered stiffly. Buzz closed his eyes, trying desperately to purge the horrid pictures and the mocking words from his mind. He didn't want to be reminded of what could have been.

"Are you all right?"

Woody had seen his reaction.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." The ranger lied, bringing a hand to his forehead again. He needed to change the subject. "Where are we anyway? Are we still on the ship?"

"No. We're actually at your Star Command base." The sheriff answered, looking about him. "We've been here for about two days now."

"Two days?"

"Yeah. I did say you weren't looking too shabby when they brought you in." Woody reasoned.

"What happened to Zurg…and Darkmatter?"

"Zurg escaped during the scuffle." The cowboy huffed, not too impressed. "But Darkmatter is in custody and is awaiting trial on, um, which planet is below us?"

"Capital Planet."

"That's original." Woody muttered.

"Who apprehended him?" Buzz asked, ignoring the comment.

"I did, actually." The sheriff admitted casually. "When the battle started, I went after him because of what he tried to do to you. But the guy had a lot more hatred in him than I assumed. When I reached him, he already had his gun readied in his uninjured hand, aiming again at you while you were still trapped in the chair. I stopped him from shooting and wrestled around with him for a bit before he shoved me aside and aimed again. He fired…but you were still standing afterward. I assumed he missed…"

Woody trailed off, his expression growing more anxious and disturbed. He rubbed the back of his neck out of nervous habit, debating about whether he should finish his story. Buzz furrowed his brow and gave his friend a pointed, but tense gaze, silently asking him to continue. He knew what was coming next would not be pleasant news, but he wanted to know.

The cowboy sighed as he balled his hands into fists. Reluctantly, he spoke again.

"…but I realized he didn't after I saw Jessie's wound."

Buzz's eyes widened. Woody cringed slightly at his reaction.

"He was aiming for you, but–"

"–he hit Jessie instead." The ranger finished for him.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two. The sheriff stared at Buzz's face carefully, watching as his expression changed from disbelieving anger to sorrowful guilt. He silently cursed himself for mentioning anything, knowing he had probably done more damage than good. Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Woody placed a hand on the ranger's shoulder.

"Buzz, listen to me." He began slowly. "It was a matter of circumstance, an accident. Sure, it does not seem that way and trust me when I say I almost shot Darkmatter myself when they brought him on the ship, but I knew it wouldn't do any good. It's over and both of you are all right. I'm just glad we are given the chance to move on from all that happened."

The captain remained silent, his face turned away. The sheriff pursed his lips, hoping his friend was considering some of his points.

"You don't have to agree with a word I'm saying, Buzz, but at least think about it. Wallowing in guilt is not going to get you anywhere."

Woody stood and removed his hand from Buzz's shoulder. He put the chair back in its original spot and grabbed his belt and holster from the countertop he had placed them on earlier. When he looked back, the cowboy realized the ranger still had not moved.

Shaking his head in slight disappointment, Woody moved to open the door. He paused, though, for only a moment, and turned to Buzz one last time.

"You know, Jessie knew. She knew about the dangers and the consequences she was facing. It was her own choice, not anybody else's. Don't forget that."

With that, he left the ranger to mull over his thoughts alone.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when Buzz found himself standing in the doorway of the room next to his. It had taken him a bit to get out of his own bed, having to stumble over to the closet in order to grab the crutches meant for him to walk with. He wasn't supposed to be out and about yet, but he couldn't sit around and wait any longer.

He had to see Jessie.

So, he slowly found his way to the threshold of her room. In the dim lighting, he saw she still slept and resolved to enter as quietly as he could. He waited for the door to slide closed again before moving forward carefully. Once he reached her bedside, he froze with nervousness.

He didn't know what he would see. He unwillingly recalled the vivid images from his nightmare again and shivered. What if his conversation with Woody had been a dream too? At that moment, he couldn't tell what was and what wasn't real. Anything was possible at that rate.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward to take a look.

Buzz nearly fainted again when he saw Jessie's face flushed with color. Her red, tousled hair accentuated the rosiness of her cheeks and outlined her face as it normally did. Her breathing was deep and regular as her body lied calm and still. She rested in a peaceful slumber without her injuries bothering her.

She was all right. The ranger breathed a huge sigh of relief as his fears ebbed away. With his legs suddenly a little unsteady from the diminishing adrenaline, Buzz sat down gently on the edge of Jessie's bed and placed his crutches aside.

He stared down at her for many moments, just taking in the fact that she was there, that she was alive and well. Studying the features he had memorized, he reached out and stroked her smooth cheek. He smiled slightly when he felt the calm heat of her skin on his finger tips. There were several times during the past few days when he thought he would never be able to do that again.

Buzz's smile gradually faded, however, replaced eventually by a dismal frown. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions under control as a thought returned to the forefront of his mind. He had thought long and hard about it after Woody left him alone, tried to reason and work out its positives and negatives. He eventually came to a conclusion and felt like he was making the right choice, not just for himself, but for everyone around him. It wouldn't be easy.

But it needed to be done.

Breathing deeply, he continued to caress Jessie's cheek lightly, the gesture suddenly much more bittersweet to him.

Oh, how he would miss this.

"I'm sorry, Woody." The ranger whispered quietly, his voice barely steady. "But I don't agree with you. I'm ending this before it gets any worse."

He leaned down and gently pecked the cowgirl's cheek one last time.

"I'm never putting you in danger again." He promised shakily. "Goodbye, Jess."

* * *

I hope some of you were faked out by the beginning. ;) Just one or two more to go! *faints*


	15. To Be Flawed

*dies* Ugh, this chapter felt like my teeth were getting pulled out. Sorry 'bout the delay. I went traveling from Christmas to New Years and visited family, so it was hard to update/review on anything. Boy, I need to catch up.

All righty, well, I tried my best to link everything in this chapter with issues mentioned earlier in the story (like chapter 5). No issue or fear mentioned in this chapter is new, they have been implied/mentioned in previous chapters (some more subtly than others).

I hope you enjoy. Thank you to all who reviewed, favored, and/or alerted this story. I luv you! )

**RATED: T** (for language)

* * *

**To Be Flawed**

"I'm sorry, Miss Pride, but we cannot find him anywhere in the hospital ward."

Jessie frowned, furrowing her brow tightly.

"But my brother told me he was in the room beside me just yesterday." The cowgirl informed.

"He was." The Star Command nurse attending to her confirmed. "But he wasn't there this morning. We've been looking everywhere for him."

Jessie found it extremely odd that Buzz had suddenly disappeared from sight within the large hospital ward. Upon waking up that morning, she had an undeniable desire to see him. When she asked if it were possible to do so, the discovery was made; Buzz was no longer in his room. The head nurse, Nurse Retessal, nearly went crazy with anger and fear when she found out the captain was missing and ordered a search for him throughout the entire ward. Thus far, no trace of him had been found.

"Nobody released him." Jessie's nurse continued with a shrug. "He's not allowed to leave through our perimeter security without certifications – hold out your arm please, thank you – and it just doesn't make sense."

The cowgirl winced as an anti-biotic-filled syringe injected itself into her arm. As the nurse finished up with her first of two daily check-ups, Jessie leaned back to rest on the pillows propped up on her bed. Her injured side ached terribly, but the stinging pain had ceased after a few shots of the anti-biotic Star Command was providing her. It amazed her how quickly she was healing; the advancements in medicine there blew away the ones on Earth.

"Maybe he reckoned he felt better." Jessie assumed. "This medicine stuff does work great."

"But it's not his decision to leave whenever he wants to." The nurse chided gently. "That's Nurse Retessal's decision since she's head nurse. There have been too many Space Rangers coming in here, banged up beyond belief, that are 'ready to get going' the next day. I've seen more injuries happen that way than I ever have on missions and the battlefields. We don't tolerate it."

The nurse finished cleaning up her supplies in silence, fuming to herself. Jessie fiddled with her fingers, still uncertain about the whole situation. The quiet remained for several more moments.

"What confuses me, though, is that Captain Lightyear usually cooperates very well with us." The nurse mused, breaking the silence. "He was always a good patient. His unauthorized leaving…is not like him."

Jessie furrowed her brow again. She knew for a fact that Buzz did not break character easily, it was almost unheard of. Only something drastic or life-changing could change his demeanor, like when Woody told her of the ranger's mental breakdown during their escape from Sid Philip's hideout, the moment after he found out he was not some god, but a flawed human like everyone else in his species.

Something was wrong and the cowgirl was determined to find out what.

"They're going to start searching the entire base now for him." The nurse commented as she looked at her notice beeper. "I will let you know if we find him."

"Thank you." Jessie acknowledged, still somewhat distracted by her thoughts.

"Oh, and by the way." The nurse halted before stepping out the door. "Those flowers over there arrived this morning. They're from the helmsman who survived the crash."

Turning, Jessie saw a small vase of yellow daisies and white baby breath sitting on the far side-table. There was a small card resting on top of them. It read 'Thank You.'

The cowgirl could not help but smile.

* * *

He had to hurry. He didn't care about sorting his clothes into any particular order as he shoved them in his suitcase. He grabbed anything he deemed valuable and tossed them in it as well, his holographic photos, his award plaques, his various gadgets, and his microcomputer among them. All he knew was that his time was short.

Buzz needed to get away from the Star Command base before Woody and Jessie figured out what he was doing.

Getting out of the hospital ward had been easy enough. He knew the Star Command base inside and out, using passageways and hidden doors only a few rangers knew about. With the help of his personality-filled, robot teammate, XR, he was able to evade the ward's perimeter security and reach his personal quarters undetected. Phase one was successful.

Phase two was underway.

Buzz planned on returning to the house he owned on Capital Planet. He couldn't really call it a home, considering he only used it whenever Commander Nebula forced him to go on annual leave for two months. Nobody would think to look for him there, at least not at first. The location was kept private so no unwanted visitors could reach it. Yes, it was a good place to hide for a little while.

His main goal, though, was to convince Woody and Jessie to return to their home on Earth. He figured the only way to do that as painlessly and as indirectly as possible would be to hide for an extended period of time. Six weeks to be exact. Due to his injured state, he automatically received two weeks leave from service, but he added on another four from the vacation time he never used. Buzz believed it was a sufficient amount of time for Jessie to fully heal and for the two Pride siblings to grow tired of waiting for him to return. He did not want to give them a reason for staying at Star Command.

He hated to leave them like that…but it was for their own good.

Thus he continued to pack quickly. The ranger's progress was still a little slow due to his injuries, but he had taken enough mild pain killers to decrease his pain to a dull ache. He figured that, as long as he was functional, he would be all right. Besides, his plan was working well so far.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

…spoke too soon.

Buzz jumped and whipped around, nearly losing his balance when he caught sight of the person standing in his doorway. Never before had the captain seen Woody Pride so angry.

"How did you–"

"The whole damn base is searching for you." Woody snapped. "And your little robot teammate can't keep his mouth shut for anything. But he didn't just tell me about _where _you were, no, he told me about _what _you were doing as well." His eyes narrowed. "So please, tell me Buzz, what the hell are you doing?"

Silence settled uncomfortably between them for several moments. Buzz stood rigid in his spot as Woody glared and fumed. The ranger's mind raced; he did not expect a confrontation, with Woody no less. He had no idea what to say or what to do.

"L-look, Woody," Buzz began slowly and quietly, "You said I didn't have to agree with you."

"About feeling guilty!" The sheriff cried, throwing up his hands. "Not about leaving! I certainly didn't expect you to come up with something as ridiculous as that!"

The ranger narrowed his eyes a bit.

"I have my reasons."

"Well, I would certainly love to hear them!" Woody hissed.

"You wouldn't understand." Buzz sighed as he turned back to his suitcase. "And besides, it doesn't concern you."

That sent the cowboy reeling. He was about ready to hit his friend, not caring at all about his injuries.

"Jessie is my _sister._" He seethed. "Anything that concerns her concerns me, especially when it involves her getting hurt!"

"_Getting _hurt?" Buzz cried, whipping around. "She's _already _hurt because of me!" He picked up one of his unpacked shirts and chucked it into the suitcase. "If anything, I'm doing you a favor! So just leave me alone and go back home where you belong!"

Woody crossed his arms as his frown deepened.

"So, you're willing to just throw everything away, then?" He questioned with quiet anger. "You want to go back to the lonely, meaningless life you live? Don't tell me I'm wrong, I've known the truth for five years now." He stared the ranger down, watching as irritation and embarrassment tightened his sturdy features. "You act like everything's all right, but I know that's a lie. I've seen how miserable you look when you're on duty...but I've also seen how happy you look when you're with Jessie."

Buzz turned and walked to the back wall, placing a hand on it as he rubbed his forehead. Woody sensed that he was digging in the right direction.

"So stop being selfish and unpack your damn bag."

He knew he had said the wrong thing almost instantly. With surprising strength, Buzz hurled a shoe he had been holding right at Woody's chest. Startled, the sheriff barely managed to catch it in his hands before it collided with him. Buzz did not give him any time to recover as he tried to shove past him, suitcase in hand, to leave for the docking bay. If it had not been for Woody's overwhelming height, the ranger probably would have succeeded.

The sheriff managed to push the ranger back inside the room. Irritated and affronted, Buzz charged at Woody again, issuing much more force than last time. When his shoulder connected with Woody's chest, pain shivered through his body. He didn't give up, though, his determination fueled by anger.

"I'm not letting you go!" Woody hissed, still trying to subdue the ranger.

"You _will _let me leave!" Buzz growled back.

"You are not leaving Jessie behind!"

"That is not your decision!"

"ENOUGH!"

The two men practically fell on top of one another in surprise as a new voice yelled loudly from the hallway. Breaking apart clumsily, the two of them whipped around. They were met with a furious Jessie. She stood within the doorframe, alone and fuming. She still wore the clothes the hospital ward had provided her and still had an IV line attached to her wrist, the IV bag floating in a hover device next to her.

It took a moment for the sheriff and the ranger to realize she had found them unattended.

"Jessie! What are you doing?" Woody cried, rushing to his sister's side. "You're not ready to walk around alone, yet! You're still too weak! How the heck did you even–"

"Leave, Woody."

Confused, the cowboy noticed she did not turn to look at him. She stared only at Buzz, who had wound up kneeling on the floor after the tussle. Woody looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment.

"Jessie–"

"I said leave." The cowgirl repeated forcefully.

Sighing, Woody shook his head irritably, knowing from experience that arguing would do no good. He glanced back and glared slightly at Buzz before placing a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"Fine. But will you at least sit down?"

When Jessie continued to ignore him, Woody merely sighed again and left them room, closing the door behind him.

Silence.

The cowgirl and the Space Ranger just stared at one another for several unnerving moments. Buzz could barely read the subtle disappointment on Jessie's face, but her glare emphasized it otherwise. He might have had trouble knowing what to say before when facing Woody, but now that he faced Jessie, he really had no idea what to say. He gulped nervously.

"Jess, maybe you should sit…"

She didn't respond or move. She merely continued to keep her gaze steady on him. Buzz didn't want to admit it, but he began to feel quite uncomfortable because of her silence. It was so unlike her.

"I don't know what to say, Buzz." Jessie finally spoke. "I don't even know what to begin thinkin'."

The ranger kept quiet.

"Here I am, thinkin' things are finally all right, all good and done with, and then I overhear you talkin' about leavin'. Is that true?"

Buzz hesitated slightly, but wound up nodding slowly.

Jessie finally broke her glare and shut her eyes tightly, desperately fighting back the tears that suddenly threatened to fall. She swallowed her sorrow and took a deep, shaky breath, trying to recompose herself.

"Is it me?" She asked quietly. "Am I the reason for this?"

"N-no, Jess." Buzz reassured gently as he stood up. "It's not you."

"Is it you then?" She inquired stiffly. "Is it because you couldn't be the perfect hero this time? Is it because you're afraid to fail again?"

The captain shut his mouth at the accuracy of her prospect, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He remained silent.

"Well, look here, Buzz Lightyear, you can try to elude and hide from your flaws as much as you want, but you're never gonna be able to get rid of 'em." Jessie continued hotly. "You're not perfect! You can't handle everything thrown at ya! Ya gotta stop believing that every problem is your problem!"

"Believe me, Jessie, I know for a _fact_ that I am not perfect." Buzz snapped. "I couldn't stop the bombing, I couldn't save the passengers, heck, I couldn't even save you!"

"Which proves my point, Buzz!" The cowgirl cried, flinging an arm in his direction. "You put too much responsibility on yourself for things; you act like you're the only one who could handle them to begin with! Accept the way things are and just move on!"

Buzz threw up his hands.

"You don't understand!" He yelled. "You won't understand!"

"Then tell me exactly what I'm missin'." Jessie bobbed her head to emphasize her sarcasm.

"I don't care about what else happened!" Buzz exclaimed. "I don't care about whoever else was involved! The only person I cared about the whole time was you. When I thought you were dead, heck, when I was about to die myself, all I could think about was what I should have done, what I couldn't do, what I failed to do for you. It was my fault you were almost killed! Damnit, Jess, I'm not letting that happen again!"

The images and sounds from his nightmare plagued his mind again, the beeps, the yells, the paleness of her face. It sent shivers down his spine just as easily as it did the day before. No, he would not risk that again.

Jessie only sighed heavily in response, giving him a disbelieving look as she shook her head.

"And you still honestly think that leaving is the answer to those problems?"

Buzz paused, his mouth opening and closing. He gazed at her emerald irises as they flashed dangerously, expecting an answer. He could only sigh.

"Yes."

The cowgirl practically exploded with rage. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she barred her teeth in an almost animalistic way. She punched the wall beside her before pointing an accusing finger to him, lashing about reprimands and insults like they were whips. She stepped toward the startled ranger as she continued to unleash the fury she had kept at bay during their fight.

Jessie would not be abandoned, not like this.

"You've got some nerve to think you can start somethin' and just end it like this!" She continued indignantly. "Don't you have any decency? I can't believe I feel in love with you at all!"

"Jessie, please–" Buzz managed to interject desperately.

"No!" Jessie cried. "I know what you're gonna say! I'm tired of hearing it! I'm tired of you thinking you're right! I'm tired…tired of…"

A wave of dizziness suddenly struck her. Her face paled and the anger twisting her features fell. The strength in her legs gave in to the weak sensation and her knees buckled under her weight. She desperately grasped for the side table she stood beside as she felt herself beginning to fall.

Buzz instinctively rushed to her, grabbing her around the waist before she fell completely. Jessie's free hand clutched at him in order to keep herself upright, but she wound up falling back against him, ending up cradled in his arms.

The two sat still for several minutes, both breathless and exhausted.

Then it all sunk in. Sobs began to intermingle with Jessie's heavy breathing as she finally gave in to her emotional stress. Her wounded side throbbed and her weakened, tired state kept her tears flowing rapidly, but the cowgirl could care less. She merely dug her face in the crook of Buzz's arm and continued to relieve herself of her tearful frustrations.

Buzz swallowed hard, trying to keep his own overwhelming emotions under control. He tried to will himself to move, to push Jessie away so he could separate himself from her…but he just couldn't. No amount of guilt or fear could convince him to leave the cowgirl he held so tenderly in his arms anymore. He now knew that, no matter how much he wanted to let her go for her own sake, he would never be able to do so without regretting it terribly.

It would be too hard to live life otherwise.

"I-I'm sorry, Jess." He whispered, a lump lodged in his throat. "I just…can't live without you."

"Then don't leave." The cowgirl choked in between sobs. "Don't leave me."

Buzz gently tightened his embrace, planting a chaste kiss on her flushed lips as he slipped a hand into hers.

"I don't think that's possible anymore."

* * *

Can anyone say soap opera? *sigh* It was inevitable, I suppose. One more to go! XD

Review Please!


	16. To Be

Ok, so this ending kinda sucks, but whatever. I can't tell you how long I've been thinking about how to end this thing (since chapter 10 actually) and I eventually settled with this. It is a bit rushed because college starts again tomorrow and I wanted to get it up today cause I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long.

So here's the conclusion to "To Be Reunited." *cheers* :D It's really short (compared to the others), but it couldn't be helped. Hope it's decent and leaves on a good note.

Thank you to everyone who had reviewed, favored, and alerted this story. They kept me motivated and helped me finish this story. Thank you _so much._

**(1/11/11) **GAH 100 reviews! Thank you guys soooooo much! XD Woohoo!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

**To Be**

A week and a half passed without much excitement. Buzz and Jessie were forced under hospital arrest after a furious Nurse Retessal found out about their escapades. But it didn't bother them so much that they were being watched almost twenty-four/seven. They rested and recovered together, taking rejuvenating walks while hand-in-hand, talking about nonsense to pass the boring hours by, and playing silly little mind-games with Woody, who often acted like their self-appointed bodyguard.

They kept each other company and that alone it made their long recoveries more bearable and fun. They enjoyed every minute of being together.

In a matter of no time, though, they were healed of almost all their injuries. Buzz's bruises and gashes had all but disappeared and Jessie's stab and bullet wounds had turned into healthy scars. After passing several of Nurse Retessal's medical examinations, the couple was finally given permission to leave the hospital ward.

"I'm so glad we're getting outta here!" Jessie exclaimed, putting on her beloved red leather hat for the first time in nearly two weeks. "I'm tired of starin' at white walls all day."

"I agree." Buzz concurred, sitting on the bed to replace his slippers with shoes. "That vile medicine smell always gets to me."

"I feel ya there, captain."

The cowgirl stopped adjusting her new pair of jeans after her comment. A thought struck her and she furrowed her brow, standing up straight to tap a finger to her chin. She hesitated for a moment, not sure about how the ranger would react to her formulating question…but curiosity got the better of her.

"Hey, Buzz," She called softly, pausing to watch him turn to her, "I know it's probably not my place to ask, but are you still a captain?"

The Space Ranger froze. That question certainly caught him off guard and to no small amount either. He had thought about it before, sometimes when he was alone or drifting off to sleep. He always wondered about the answer and, sometimes, coming up with his own, but he had never truly figured it out. Not one of his superiors had given him word on his rank's status since he had been implemented again into the hospital ward.

It unnerved him quite a bit.

"I–I don't know, Jess." Buzz confessed, resting his heavy arms on his legs. "I haven't been told anything about whether I've been promoted or not…but I wouldn't be surprised if they've demoted me back down to a private."

Jessie's shoulder's fell as she sighed heavily. She knew she was going to regret asking him.

"Buzz Lightyear, how many times do I have to tell you to stop bein' so hard on yourself." She berated gently, sitting down beside him on the bed. "I doubt they even considered demoting you. Besides, the bombing was not your fault. You were betrayed by a fellow ranger; you didn't know."

The ranger sighed, realizing that disagreeing with the cowgirl would get him nowhere.

"I know…but I'm not sure my superiors know that," Buzz commented quietly. "As far as they're concerned, the _Sunnyside _was bombed and half of its passengers perished. If I were them, I would consider that a mission failed."

"Well then son, you got a thing or two to learn before you become like us!"

Buzz and Jessie jumped ten feet as a loud, commanding voice yelled from behind them. They whirled around on the bed in a fluster, finding an amused Commander Nebula and Star Command Commander-in-Chief grinning at them from the hospital room doorway.

In the realization that two of his superiors were standing before him, Buzz scrambled to his feet and saluted hastily.

"Sirs!"

Commander Nebula chuckled deeply.

"Relax Lightyear, no need for all of that, especially since you're still off duty."

Jessie giggled quietly as Buzz slowly let his posture relax.

"We cam' here to let ya know about what we though' o' your mission." The commander-in-chief informed as he stepped into the room.

"You might wanna sit down for this." Nebula muttered.

Buzz retook his seat beside Jessie, watching the two men settle themselves in front of him anxiously.

"Well, it took us a while to gather all the information we needed," The commander began, "had to interview the rangers who went on the mission, interview the passengers, the prisoners, and so forth."

Unconsciously, Buzz reached for Jessie's hand and she took it.

"Then we went over the facts, discussing what happened and who was involved." Nebula continued casually, waving a hand around. "Then we had to go through and fill out all this paperwork and you know how much I hate doing that. Took hours to finish…"

Buzz's tightened his grip on Jessie's hand as he was forced to listen to his commander's babbling, anxiously awaiting the verdict of his rank.

"All righ', Nebula." The commander-in-chief interrupted the commander with a chuckle. "Enough torturin' the boy. Tell 'im oura decision."

"Eh, fine." Commander Nebula agreed. "Captain Buzz Lightyear, you _are _to be promoted to a Star Command admiral in one week's time."

Jessie let out a cry of joy and threw her arms around Buzz, not caring that his superiors were watching. The ranger himself had a look of surprise and excitement etched on his face, distractedly wrapping an arm around the cowgirl in return. He laughed slightly, thinking over the great news he just received. Yet, deep down, he still felt unsure.

"But, sirs, I'm still confused." He commented after a moment. "Why would you promote me after all that happened?"

Commander Nebula sighed and Jessie shot Buzz an annoyed look, but the head general only laughed in amusement.

"Lightyea', you handled the bombin' crisis like a professional." He began. "Ya neva lost ya nerve, ya worked quick and efficiently, and ya kept your own life in danga to make sure the lives of othas were safe. I don't know if ya know this, boy, but you saved the lives of 38,000 of those 50,000 passengers, and that's not including the passengers that were imprisoned with you."

Buzz's brows rose at that information. He had no idea. At the time of the bombing, he hadn't thought much about how many people were escaping into the escape pods. He never fathomed to think that many had actually survived.

"Wow, that many? That's great!" Jessie commented and turned to grin at the ranger. "Ya see, Buzz? You _are _a hero."

She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. The ranger smiled, but then realized Commander Nebula and the commander-in-chief had seen the transaction. Blushing almost immediately, he laughed in embarrassment.

"I–I, um…w-well, uh…"He stuttered and the others laughed good-naturedly at his reaction. "I mean…thank you, sirs, for the honor."

"It's our pleasure, Lightyear." Nebula returned.

Buzz stood once again, saluting his superiors farewell before they left the room. After, he sat down on the bed again, a smile stretched his lips and he sighed with relief. The cowgirl beside him only laughed in response, slipping her arms around him again. The ranger returned the favor and embraced her just as fiercely.

They held each other for several moments, relishing the other's company.

"So, _admiral_," Jessie cooed quietly, "what should we do now?"

Buzz's smile widened as he turned to face her. Without a word, he pressed his lips to hers and fed her a sweet, gentle kiss, stroking her hair all the while. It only occurred to him then that everything had worked itself out in the end. His problems had been solved and his doubts had been dispersed. His life had just turned for the better and he now had a promising, stable future ahead of him.

And everything he had ever wanted was in his arms, kissing him back.

Never before had he felt so content.

After a few moments, Buzz pulled away from the kiss. He pulled back to gaze at Jessie's smiling face and stared deep into the emerald eyes he loved so much. He chuckled lightly and answered her question.

"Let's get started."


End file.
